Liverpool midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri admits to having grown up idolising legendary striker Ronaldo, with the Swiss going as far as copying the Brazilian’s “triangle” haircut and crying when he lost big games.
Shaqiri was a starry-eyed youngster looking to make a mark at FC Basel when Ronaldo was at the peak of his powers around the turn of the 21st century.
He had already cemented a standing as one of the most fearsome frontmen in the global game by that point, but inspired Brazil to World Cup glory in 2002 before securing a big-money move to Real Madrid.