Gary Neville Reveals The Secret Behind How To Stop Cristiano Ronaldo

How do you stop Cristiano Ronaldo? For years, hundreds if not thousands of defenders have pondered this difficult question.

For many, the sheer pace and power of the man has left them baffled but back in 2013, former Manchester United right-back Gary Neville gave an honest and insightful answer.

Speaking in his column for EA Sports, Neville explained that he found the key to stopping him was making sure that he didn't get the ball one-on-one.

"Having played and trained with Cristiano (Ronaldo) for six years at Manchester United, and directly faced him in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, if you're a capable defender, there are moments in the 90 minutes when you certainly can stop him. You've obviously just got to ensure you're focused." he said.

'I always found the key to stopping him was making sure that he didn't get the ball one-on-one against you. It's vital to stop the ball getting to his feet in a good position, you'd have to try and step in front of him, try and make sure you put pressure on him very quickly so he didn't get his speed up.

'Once he gets his speed up, and you're back pedalling into your box, you're really in trouble because the key thing about these types of players is they can go either way, they can go down your right or left side, they can beat you both ways.

'It's impossible to stop these players facing you one-on-one in 90 minutes of football, you definitely need the support of your team mates. World-class players will sniff out a weakness in a defence, for instance, if they're not getting much joy out of a certain player, they'll drift to another part of the pitch to try and get success.

'So, if you're a right back, you need your right-sided midfielder, your right-sided central midfielder, and your right-sided central defender to make sure that when the ball goes over, you've got two or three players supporting.'

It's easier said than done Gary, but the former United right-back has certainly got plenty of experience coming up against the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

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Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football News, Football, Manchester United, Premier League, Gary Neville, Cristiano Ronaldo

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He's interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He dabbles in all things sport but football is his biggest passion. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

@jackkenmare_