Napoli striker on loan to Galatasaray, Victor Osimhen, has recounted how he approached five-time Ballon d'Or award winner Cristiano Ronaldo for a picture.

According to him, Ronaldo is one of the footballers he admires the most, adding that his work ethic is an inspiration to young talents like himself.

"He has talent and he works so hard, that's why Ronaldo is an inspiration to so many of us," Osimhen told OAP Daddy Freeze in an interview.

"I told my friends that the day I'm going to play against Ronaldo, Messi or Neymar... these are like legends, people that I love so much... I'm taking a picture with them; I don't care. Even if we lose 10-0, I don't mind.

"So, we had a game; he was at Juventus at the time. I was star-struck. We played the game and won 1-0. While he was going in, I said to him, 'Please, I'd like to take a picture with you. ' He said, 'Yeah, come.' Despite losing the game, he still told me to come to the dressing room.

"I quickly ran to my dressing room and took off my shirt; I didn't even take off my boots. I ran up to his dressing room.

"It wasn't even up to like five minutes that he told me that, but guess where he was. He was in the gym working out with a dumbbell."

He said that while he was watching Ronaldo work out, former Italian international goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon saw him and showed him some love.

He said Buffon asked how he could help him, and he responded by saying, "I want to take a picture with Ronaldo."

Buffon responded by saying Ronaldo was at the gym working out and beckoned for Osimhen to sit with him while they waited for Ronaldo.

"It was a home game for me, so I could stay five hours there and then go straight to my house," Osimhen said.

He said he waited for an hour for Ronaldo, who was working in the gym after playing 90 minutes on the pitch.

"After he came out, he was still sweating, then Buffon told him about me," Osimhen said.

He said when he finally had a moment with Ronaldo, he couldn't help but admire the muscles on his legs.

He said that after taking some pictures, Ronaldo asked, "Are the pictures enough?"

According to Osimhen, he requested more pictures, to which Ronaldo obliged, then gave me parting advice, saying, "Great game, just keep on going."

He said that after the photo shoot, he called his friends and told them that they were no longer at his level because he had just taken pictures with Ronaldo.

ASA