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.
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.