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'He's like Cristiano' Cedric Soares lavishes high praise on one Arsenal teammate


Arsenal defender Cedric Soares has issued some incredibly high praise for young star Gabriel Martinelli, comparing him to iconic forward Cristiano Ronaldo in his latest comments.

Cedric has been in close proximity to both of them, having played alongside fellow Portuguese star Ronaldo for the majority of his 34 international caps. Meanwhile, he of course trains with the Arsenal forward on a daily basis.

And, the 30 year old has suggested that both his style of play and his work-rate off the pitch stands Martinelli in good stead when compared to the now Manchester United forward.

'Gabi has this aim for goal. He likes to attack the space, like Cristiano [Ronaldo],” Cedric revealed. 'He likes to score goals, like everyone does.'

High praise alone, but the full-back continued to compliment the work rate of his club-mate, revealing that whether in or out of the side, his work ethic remains unchanged.

'Gabi has this willingness to fight. Even when he doesn’t play, he keeps working the same way. He is an easy young kid to talk with. You talk and you can see he listens to you. He’s talented, but the way he works is fantastic.'

Latest in long line of plaudits

Cedric is the latest in a long line of professionals around the game that have lavished high praise upon the Brazilian winger. Over the international break, legendary Brazilian defender Dani Alves took to Instagram to compare the forward to the original Ronaldo, describing him as 'el phenomeno', the nickname coined by one of Brazil's greatest ever players.

Meanwhile, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has repeatedly singled the Brazilian out for praise, calling him the talent of the century in a 2019 interview.

With five goals and three assists to his name in the top-flight this season, Arsenal will be hoping that the prodigy can find another gear as they look to nail down a top 4 spot come the end of the season.

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Ben Browning

Ben Browning

Football writer and analyst. Long-time writer of all things Arsenal and avid watcher of European football. Happy to discuss all things football over on Twitter.


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