Cristiano Ronaldo on his toughest ever opponent: “he does not give you a second to breathe”

Cristiano Ronaldo has identified the toughest opponent he's ever faced and it's a throwback to his Premier League days.

Think about all the tough defenders the Portuguese superstar has faced down through the years. Mats Hummels, Diego Godin, Philipp Lahm... hell, even Khalid Boulahrouz is up there after his horrendous studs-up tackle into his thigh at Euro 2006. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIYHDU2b7DM There is one defender that Ronaldo considers a cut above the rest. A player so skilled at the craft of defending that he had a claustrophobic-like effect on him. He may not be an obvious choice considering how his career has been going lately, but as he told Coach Mag, Ronaldo has never faced a player tougher than Ashley Cole.

"Over the years I had some great battles with Ashley Cole, he does not give you a second to breathe." 

While Ronaldo is still on top of his game, getting nominated for the Ballon d'Or and winning major trophies at club and international level, Cole's gone into the decline over the last few years. After being forced out of Chelsea's starting line-up by Cesar Azpilicueta, Cole went on to have a very unsuccessful two-season spell at As Roma. His contract was terminated by the Serie A club and he was subsequently snapped up by LA Galaxy, where he is currently playing. However, when he was at Arsenal and Chelsea he was considered to be one of the best left-backs in the world, good enough to give Ronaldo all sorts of problems.

"He was such a tenacious player when he was at his peak, quick, tough in the tackle. You knew it would never be an easy game."