Despite an intense rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United, a Reds star has now admitted that Cristiano Ronaldo was his hero when he was growing up.
New signing Diogo Jota has been on fire for Liverpool since joining the club from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the most recent transfer window.
The Portugal international, like many of his fellow countrymen, grew up looking up to one of the country's greatest-ever players.
"Cristiano Ronaldo was my hero. At that time (Euro 2004), he was 19 but he was already playing at the Euros with so much quality," Jota told James Pearce in an interview for The Athletic.
"During my childhood, he was at Manchester United and Real Madrid. As Portuguese guys, we always looked upon him as our main reference."
Jota then switch the conversation to working with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, and heaped praise on the German.
"When you reach a new club, having an open mind is key to be able to adapt as quickly as possible," he continued.
"With the season underway already, it was up to me to find a way to get into the team and not the opposite. That's what I did with the help of Jurgen.
"He's a fantastic manager who took care of me. When I first arrived, he had a meeting with me and he explained how the team works.
"Then it's down to the player to try to learn as fast as you can, and to prove to the manager that you can be an important player for him on the field."
