'He never listened to me!' - Cristiano Ronaldo hailed for mental strength as defender reveals he used to 'whisper a thousand things in his ear' in bid to distract Portugal superstar

Mina, who has played for clubs including Barcelona and Everton in the past, has picked Ronaldo as the toughest opponent he has ever faced. The 30-year-old centre-back played against Ronaldo in the second half of the 2017/18 La Liga season after he moved to Catalunya from Palmeiras in January 2018. The next season, Mina moved to Everton while Ronaldo left Real Madrid to join Juventus. The duo came face to face once again in 2021 after the Portugal star moved back to England with Manchester United.

Mina spoke highly of Ronaldo's mental strength and concentration on the pitch as he revealed he tried to distract the forward by constantly whispering words into his ears while marking. The defender also praised Harry Kane, who, like Ronaldo, constantly ignored his distracting words.

Speaking to Relevo, Mina said: "The hardest striker I have ever marked is undoubtedly Cristiano Ronaldo. During his time at Manchester United, when I played for Everton. His secret? Everything around him. He is never distracted... I tried to talk to him during the game, but he never listened to me! He is very strong mentally. I would go up to him, whisper a thousand things in his ear, but he would constantly ignore me. Even Harry Kane... He wouldn't even look at me."

The 40-year-old will be back in action for Al-Nassr on Friday as they take on Al-Shabab in a crucial Saudi Pro League clash.