Rashford idolises Brazil’s Ronaldo

LONDON. - It is the ultimate endorsement. The kind every young soccer striker dreams of.

For Marcus Rashford, praise from Brazil legend Ronaldo has been the stuff of fantasy.

Not just the seal of approval, either. The three-time World Player of the Year, widely regarded as one of the greatest hitmen of all time, revealed last year that he sees shades of himself in the Manchester United marksman.

“I see some of myself in him,” said Ronaldo.

“He has courage and he’s fast and is very good with the ball.

“Strikers have to be hungry to score and I see that with him. He has an amazing future.”

No wonder Rashford will indeed be living the dream when he faces the five-time world champions Brazil tonight.

“I used to watch a lot of him growing up,” said the 20-year-old.

“All of his games, he was obviously a top player who won a lot of things in his career, so when you know he’s saying good things about you, then it really stands out.”

Like Rashford, Ronaldo exploded onto the scene as a teenager, going to the 1994 World Cup with Brazil - even though he didn’t play - before joining Dutch club PSV.

In his first season there, the teenager smashed a stunning 35 goals in 36 matches. - The Mirror.