Virat Kohli, India captain and arguably the most popular modern cricketer, has lauded Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, calling him an inspirational figure for his “unmatched” work ethic.

Kohli currently tops the batsmen’s rankings in Tests and ODIs, and has set numerous benchmarks  across formats. His enigmatic personality, and his relentless need to improve his skill, is comparable to Ronaldo, and Kohli said the 34-year-old footballer “inspires” him.

“For me, Cristiano is above everyone else.” Kohli told Fifa’s official website. “His commitment and work ethic is unmatched. He wants it that bad – you can see it every game.”

What Kohli particularly likes about Ronaldo, apart from his footballing achievements, is his “self-belief” and leadership. “In my opinion, he has taken on more challenges and succeeded at all of them,” said Kohli. “He’s the most complete player I have seen, and his work ethic, as I mentioned, is unmatched.

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“He inspires people. I don’t think many people do that. He’s also a leader and I love that. Absolutely love it. He has amazing belief too.”

Kohli tweeted his support for Germany during the 2018 football World Cup, but he revealed he is also an admirer of Portugal, and is now a Juventus fan too, simply because of Ronaldo.

[caption id=”attachment_116059″ align=”alignnone” width=”1024″]Virat Kohli is an ardent follower of football Virat Kohli is an ardent follower of football[/caption]

“I like watching Portugal play now, because they are maximising their resources along with having a legend in their team,” said Kohli. “They play with passion and belief, so I like watching them. Otherwise, in terms of pure ability and impact, France are very, very strong.

“[Among clubs] I support Juventus now, because of Cristiano. Simple. I support every club at which he plays. He inspires me.”

An ardent follower of the game, Kohli also holds French forward Kylian Mbappé in high regard. “His sprint in the 2018 World Cup against Argentina is hard to forget,” Kohli said. “He’s a beast and he will definitely be at the top of the pile for me. Absolutely top-class player.”

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