Peter Crouch would be instantly recognisable to every football fan in England but clearly not in Brazil. The former Liverpool striker told the story of when the legendary Ronaldo didn't have a clue who he was.
Standing at over 6"7 Crouch is pretty difficult to miss, either in a crowd or on a football pitch, and you'd imagine his presence would raise a few eyebrows on a beach in Ibiza.
Apparently though not the eyebrows of former Inter striker Ronaldo. Asked who his dream strike partner would be the former Stoke City answered Il Fenomeno and also told his amusing anecdote of meeting the Brazilian.
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"Dennis Bergkamp was special and it would have been incredible to play alongside him, but my overwhelming choice would be the original Ronaldo," he told the Daily Mail.
"I'm not sure our styles would have matched each other, but 90 minutes with him would have made my life.
"I met him once, actually. I was on holiday in Ibiza and I saw him on the beach. He was busy getting through bottles of beer and had an ashtray balanced on his stomach.
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"Every time he finished his drink, the supermodel who was with him brought him another.
"The chance to have a picture with him was too good to turn down, so I went over. I hoped he was going to say: 'Oh, you're Crouch!' but he didn't have a clue who I was.
"The picture was taken and off I went with him oblivious to the fact I was footballer. "
Asked which defender had given him the most trouble the podcast host gave a surprise answer, "You might be surprised about this, but Martin Skrtel was an absolute nightmare. I was at Liverpool when he joined us in January 2008. Off the pitch, he was a really quiet lad, good-natured, but he was totally different in a match.
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"I played against him once for England against Slovakia at Wembley in March 2009. He had this habit of putting his studs into your thigh to gain elevation when he was jumping for the ball. The first time, you can shake it off, the second time is annoying - the third time, it drives you mad.
"F***ing hell, Martin!" I shouted at him when enough was enough. "Oh, Crouchie! Sorry, I didn't see you!" The problem was I couldn't complain to the referee because they follow the flight of the ball."
Somehow you have to think Ronaldo would have had a far easier time against Skrtel...
Featured Image Credit:Topics:ย Football News, Peter Crouch, Ronaldo, Premier League, England, Brazil