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Compilation of a young Nicolas Anelka is stunning, Paul Merson thought he would be better than Ronaldo

Home> Football

Published 21:35 29 Sep 2022 GMT+1

Compilation of a young Nicolas Anelka is stunning, Paul Merson thought he would be better than Ronaldo

Anelka played for some of the biggest clubs in the world.

Marcus Chan

Marcus Chan

A compilation of a young Nicolas Anelka is a joy to watch, he was so good that Paul Merson thought he was destined to be better than Brazil star, Ronaldo Nazario. 

Anelka arrived at Arsenal as a 17-year-old from Paris Saint Germain and went on to play 90 times for the Gunners, scoring 28 goals. 

It was clear that Anelka was talented as the compilation of his best bits showed he has a wide range of skills, and had the pace to go with it. 

Anelka was calm in front of goal as he showed his composure with a series of clever finishes.

The Frenchman was impressive during his Arsenal days, and caught the eyes of Merson. 

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Merson told the League of Legends show: “I played with a kid who came over to England and I definitely thought that he was going to be better than the Brazilian Ronaldo - and that was Anelka.

“When he came over, he was about 17 and he was leaving Tony Adams and Steve Bould on their backside every two minutes.

“We used to do this one-on-one where we would stand in between the halfway line and the 18 yard box and the defender would start on the 18 yard line.

“The boss would chip the ball into you and you would have to take on the defender one-on-one and then you'd have to try and beat the goalkeeper. I don't think he ever missed.”

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Alamy

He added: “He managed to get past the defender, who ever he was doing it against, then Dave Seaman would come out and he would go round him like he wasn't there.

“I seriously thought that he was going to be the best in the world - and he should have been. He should have been as good as Ronaldo.”

After Arsenal, the Frenchman moved to Real Madrid before heading back to PSG. 

A loan spell to Liverpool followed his second spell with the Paris club, he then moved to Manchester City. 

After City, it was to Turkey where Anelka played 57 times for Fenerbahce. 

Anelka then returned to England with Bolton Wanderers, and after that it was Chelsea.

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Alamy

By the time his Chelsea spell ended, Anelka was heading towards the end of his glittering career. 

Anelka spent time at Shanghai Shenhua, Juventus, West Brom and Mumbai City before retiring. 

In total, he made 671 appearances throughout his club career and has scored 210 goals.

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@AFCRETR0

Topics: Arsenal, Paul Merson

Marcus Chan
Marcus Chan

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