The emergence of Rasmus Hojlund has been nothing short of spectacular. The Danish striker, who recently signed for Manchester United to mitigate their goal-scoring issues, has already surpassed his childhood idol, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Having stepped into the shoes of his hero, Cristiano Ronaldo, at Manchester United, Rasmus Hojlund has already made a resounding impact. Hojlund is currently the joint-highest goal scorer alongside Romelu Lukaku in the UEFA European Qualifiers for 2024.
Although Hojlund, with a tally of six goals so far for Denmark in the European Qualifiers, has only scored one more goal than Cristiano Ronaldo, who has five goals so far.
Cristiano Ronaldo, you’re 38 buddy. pic.twitter.com/8dBgTs6DDX
— Preeti (@MadridPreeti) July 30, 2023
Hojlund got the qualifiers running in style, having started with a hat-trick against Finland on the first matchday, and he later added two more goals to his total in Kazakhstan’s 3-2 victory. He was scoreless against Northern Ireland but scored again against Slovenia in a 1-1 draw.
However, given the fact that Hojlund has a knack for scoring goals, he will be looking forward to increasing his tally to double figures once the International break kicks in. Rasmus Hojlund’s trajectory from fan to successor to his hero, Cristiano Ronaldo, encapsulates this cycle in a remarkable and inspiring manner.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s mentality is what that inspires Rasmus Hojlund
Rasmus Hojlund’s admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo is nothing new as the Danish striker has previously named the Portugal captain as his idol. Given he is a goal scorer, idolizing the most prolific goalscorer in the history of soccer is not a bad idea, perhaps.
In a previous interview a few weeks back, Hojlund claimed that his father introduced him to Cristiano Ronaldo and that he devotedly followed the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s Real Madrid career.
During a recent MUTV interview, Hojlund brought up an old, yet iconic, Ronaldo interview where the Portuguese was asked by a reporter about the greatest soccer player in history during his first stint with United. Anderson and Rio Ferdinand present alongside him, and Ronaldo responded, “Me.”
RASMUS HOJLUND:
“I think there’s an interview very early with Anderson and Ferdinand – the reporter asked them ‘who’s the best football player ever?’ and Cristiano Ronaldo just said ‘me’. I like this mentality, that’s the same mentality I go for.” pic.twitter.com/0jw4KgbTzX
— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) August 7, 2023
Hojlund said that he liked Ronaldo’s mentality and is somewhat similar to the Portuguese superstar in that regard. “I think there’s an interview very early with Anderson and Ferdinand – the reporter asked them ‘who’s the best football player in the world?’ and he just said ‘me’. I like this mentality, that’s the same mentality I go for,” he added.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s mindset is a big reason why he’s still an amazing player at 38. If Rasmus Hojlund can have a similar impact on the Red Devils, he could become one of the best players in Manchester United’s history.