Even big stars can be impressed when they face a legend. That’s what happened to Chelsea player Romeo Lavia when he played against Cristiano Ronaldo. He says it was the best moment of his career so far.
Lavia, 21, joined Chelsea from Southampton last season. Before that, he played in important Premier League games and for the Belgian national team.
But even with these achievements, he still thinks playing against Ronaldo is his top moment.
Remembering Southampton’s 1-0 loss to Man Utd in the 2022/23 season, Lavia talked about seeing Ronaldo come on as a substitute in the second half.
Speaking to Rising Ballers, he said: “I think playing against Cristiano Ronaldo is probably the highlight of my career. Definitely.”
“When he came onto the field, it was like time stopped.”
“I wasn’t focused on the game anymore, I was just watching him for a couple of minutes.”
He added: “In those minutes, I thought about all the goals I’ve seen him score on TV, all the times I watched his videos on YouTube, everything he has won.”
“I was like ‘That’s really him’, you know? I was amazed.”
Lavia and Ronaldo were on the pitch together for only 29 minutes, but it was enough to make Lavia starstruck by the famous Ballon d’Or winner.
Unfortunately, Lavia couldn’t get Ronaldo’s shirt after the match because Ronaldo had already promised it to another player.
“I tried to swap shirts, but I think he had already promised it to someone else. So, I didn’t get it,” he explained.
Now, Lavia is focused on making his own mark in football, despite his £58m transfer fee.
The former Manchester City academy player has had a tough time with injuries at Chelsea.
Ankle and hamstring problems kept him out of almost all league games for Chelsea last season.
He has also only played in 10 league games this season due to another hamstring issue.
Marcus Bellamy