Silva signed for AC Milan on a five-year-deal from Portuguese side Porto on a €38 million transfer.
Portugal forwards Cristiano Ronaldo (L) and Andre Silva (Photo: AFP)
He may be playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo for the Portuguese national side now, but AC Milan new signing Andre Silva has no qualms about gushing about his childhood idol-turned teammate, recalling that he "wanted to be nicknamed after Ronaldo" when he was a child.
“They used to call me Deco because I used to play in midfield. In Portugal all the kids were nicknamed after football stars. I wanted to be nicknamed after Cristiano Ronaldo, but another kid already had the nickname,” said the 20-year-old, with a sheepish grin, in an interview with Milan TV.
“I used to watch Ronaldo ‘O Fenomeno’ when I was a kid and he was an AC Milan player at the time… I was a big fan of Ronaldo… I started following Cristiano Ronaldo when he played for Manchester United,” revealed Silva on when he started looking up to the current Portugal captain.
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Silva then left no doubt on where he stands on the raging debate as whether Ronaldo is the best player in the world with a clear statement.
“He is the best player in the world right now,” Silva said.
Silva signed for Milan on a five-year-deal from Portuguese side Porto on a €38 million transfer, making him the second-most expensive player in the history of the Rossoneri, behind fellow Portuguese Rui Costa (€42 million).
“I am really happy to be here. The facilities are really impressive. Hopefully we can win the Serie A together," affirmed the 6’1 striker.
“AC Milan wrote the history of the Champions League. I had the chance to join Milan, I was happy to know that they were interested in signing me, I could not miss it,” explained Silva on how difficult it was to turn down a move to the San Siro.
“I won’t have free time this summer since Portugal are participating in the Confederations Cup, where I hope we do really well,” promptly added Silva when asked about his plans for the summer.
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