During the 2009-2010 season, OM, thanks to its runner-up position acquired the previous season behind the Girondins de Bordeaux, competed in the Champions League. In their group is Real Madrid and the double confrontation will not be to the advantage of the Olympians who will lose their two duels (0-3, 1-3). Faced with the new Madrid star who arrived a few months earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo, Souleymane Diawara remembers with pain his duels with the Portuguese legend.
During a career, certain players sometimes have the opportunity to play against outstanding technicians. When Cristiano Ronaldo arrives at Real Madridhe is already at the top of world football with Lionel Messi. So obviously, when players face it, they remember it.
“Ronaldo’s injury? I tear everything off
For the show Ange GR, Souleymane Diawaraformer central defender of loonlooks back on his clashes with Cristiano Ronaldo in Champions League during the 2009-2010 season: “ The action on Cristiano Ronaldo where unfortunately I also hurt him, it's not even calculated. Certainly, we got a little heated on the pitch, which is normal. You know, every match, you warm up with your attacker or your opponent. But you are not: “Ah no him, I have to raise him to be considered a good man”. No, not at all, far from it. When you're on the ground, you don't even have time to calculate. There it is the play, the action, it takes us faster and I arrive, I am 200% sure of touching the ball itself. When you watch the slow motion, you see that I touch the ball, but it's true that I come very hard and I snatch everything. His ankle, the ball, the lawn, I tear everything up. »
“He’s a monster.”
« It's true that it's still Cristiano Ronaldo, for me, he's the best player of all time. He's a monster when you play against a guy like that. I saw him back and forth, we suffered. However, at the time, I ran fast, I jumped high, plus I was taller than him. I didn't head a ball. He was going twice as fast as me and technically, that's excessive, evoked Diawara. He's a monster, even physically, he's a trunk. After 15 minutes of play, I looked at the table, I thought it had been 40 minutes. I had never played against a player as strong as him. I was disgusted because he was injured. We sent an email to apologize because that was not the intention. When you hurt someone, be careful, you're not okay when you get home too. You are there, you think. »
