As Fabio Silva signs on loan at Rangers, the Wolves striker was once tipped to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo by Sporting Lisbon legend Manuel Fernandes.
The Ibrox side have announced a season-long loan deal for the 21-year-old striker, who joins Rangers three-and-a-half years on from signing for Wolves from FC Porto.
Breaking through at the Primeira Liga giants as a teenager – where he remains the club’s youngster ever goalscorer (17 years, 3 months) – the Premier League side paid a club record £35m fee to sign the kid back in 2020.
Fabio Silva compared to Cristiano Ronaldo
It was during Fabio Silva’s time at FC Porto that Manuel Fernandes – who helped unearth the great man at Sporting Lisbon – tipped the striker to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo.
“When Ronaldo was 17, he played as a centre-forward for Sporting’s youth teams,” said Fernandes back in 2018.
“I saw him doing things that I’m now seeing a boy from FC Porto do, Fabio Silva. He will be a hell of a ‘crack’. In a short time, he will be an extraordinary striker.”
It’s certainly quite the testament to the forward’s talent with Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo considered amongst the greatest footballers of all time.
New Rangers striker bears weight of “responsibility”
Still banging in the goals for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo has carved out a famous career between Manchester United, Madrid, Juventus and the Portugal national team.
Asked about the Cristiano Ronaldo comparisons back in 2020, Fabio Silva claims that the Portugal legend is an “inspiration” in his eyes with the commentary heaping “responsibility” on his young shoulders.
“He is an absolute inspiration and as a young player, it’s so important to have a role model like Cristiano,” said Silva. “But it is also a sign of the responsibility and the trust people put on me.
“After listening to some of those comments from former players, it’s just another push of motivation to write my own history.”
Rangers reportedly held off stiff competition to sign Fabio Silva – including from Old Firm rivals Celtic – so this is a potentially exciting deal for the squad.
The Gers have shown themselves to be a productive place for young talents trying to take the next step in their development with Abdallah Sima and Malik Tillman recent transfer examples.
As Fabio Silva looks to live up to the almost impossible tag of emulating Cristiano Ronaldo, Rangers will be hoping they have a new, if not short-term, icon in the building.
As Fabio Silva signs on loan at Rangers, the Wolves striker was once tipped to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo by Sporting Lisbon legend Manuel Fernandes.
The Ibrox side have announced a season-long loan deal for the 21-year-old striker, who joins Rangers three-and-a-half years on from signing for Wolves from FC Porto.
Breaking through at the Primeira Liga giants as a teenager – where he remains the club’s youngster ever goalscorer (17 years, 3 months) – the Premier League side paid a club record £35m fee to sign the kid back in 2020.
Fabio Silva compared to Cristiano Ronaldo
It was during Fabio Silva’s time at FC Porto that Manuel Fernandes – who helped unearth the great man at Sporting Lisbon – tipped the striker to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo.
“When Ronaldo was 17, he played as a centre-forward for Sporting’s youth teams,” said Fernandes back in 2018.
“I saw him doing things that I’m now seeing a boy from FC Porto do, Fabio Silva. He will be a hell of a ‘crack’. In a short time, he will be an extraordinary striker.”
It’s certainly quite the testament to the forward’s talent with Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo considered amongst the greatest footballers of all time.
New Rangers striker bears weight of “responsibility”
Still banging in the goals for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo has carved out a famous career between Manchester United, Madrid, Juventus and the Portugal national team.
Asked about the Cristiano Ronaldo comparisons back in 2020, Fabio Silva claims that the Portugal legend is an “inspiration” in his eyes with the commentary heaping “responsibility” on his young shoulders.
“He is an absolute inspiration and as a young player, it’s so important to have a role model like Cristiano,” said Silva. “But it is also a sign of the responsibility and the trust people put on me.
“After listening to some of those comments from former players, it’s just another push of motivation to write my own history.”
It’s said that Rangers overcame fierce competition to sign Fabio Silva, including from Celtic, the Old Firm rivals, so this could be an exciting signing for the team.
The recent transfer examples of Abdallah Sima and Malik Tillman demonstrate that the Gers are a productive place for young talents looking to advance in their development.
Rangers are hoping to have a new, if temporary, icon in the building as Fabio Silva attempts to live up to the nearly impossible tag of mimicking Cristiano Ronaldo.
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