10 Stars Who Copied Ronaldo

With former Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo being one of the most influential athletes of all time, here are 10 footballers who might not be around had they not been inspired by the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Click through the gallery above to see 10 players who were inspired by Ronaldo!

When the Portuguese forward first burst on to the scene at Manchester United in 2003, with white ankle tape and colourful boots, kids all around the world wanted to mimic his playing style and appearance.

Ronaldo had the same impact on children that David Beckham had on kids' haircuts, and some of those young aspiring footballers made it all the way to the big stage.

In basketball, NBA superstar LeBron James has admitted he would not be who he is today without the legendary Michael Jordan to look up to, but who has the Juventus striker had that kind of influence on?

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Manchester United attacker Marcus Rashford falls into this category as he has a very similar playing style to Ronaldo, who he has, time and time again, admitted to idolising.

Like a young Ronaldo, the 22-year-old is most effective coming off the left side on to his stronger right foot, and likes to shoot with power rather than finesse. If there was any doubt that Rashford stole parts of the Bianconeri man's game, this free-kick against Chelsea all but confirmed it.

Memphis Depay is also a player who has made no bones about trying to copy Ronaldo's dribbling style, while Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Erling Haaland seemed to have taken parts of his goal-hungry personality.

Arguably the most successful "Ronaldo baby" is Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe, who appears to have been impacted by the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in more ways than one. The 21-year-old looks like a young Ronaldo when he skips past players, and also aspires to be the best player in the world.

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Click through the gallery above to see more players who, in some way, shape or form, were inspired by the Portugal captain!