Paul Merson Believes Nicolas Anelka Could Have Achieved More Than Ronaldo

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Recently, Paul Merson, a former Arsenal legend, spoke about his former teammate Nicolas Anelka, and he had nothing but praise for the French player. Merson believes that Anelka's choice to join Real Madrid was a mistake, as he truly believed that Anelka had the talent to achieve more than Ronaldo.

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"I used to play football with a French kid who arrived in England, and I truly believed he would be better than Ronaldo Nazario (Ronaldo) - that kid was Anelka," said Merson. Back then, when Anelka joined Arsenal at the age of 17, he was leaving Tony Adams and Steve Bould behind every two minutes.

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During our training sessions, which often involved small-sided matches, Anelka showed incredible bravery. He would easily bypass the defenders using his body and speed, and then deliver the ball into David Seaman's goal," Merson added. He genuinely thought that Anelka would become the best player in the world, just like Ronaldo.

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"It was a definite mistake for him to leave Arsenal and join Real Madrid. I really wished he would stay with Arsenal because if he had, his achievements would have even surpassed Ronaldo's," Merson stated confidently.

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In the 2 and a half years he represented Arsenal, Anelka scored a total of 28 goals. In the 1998-99 season, at the age of 19, he scored an astonishing 17 goals in the league, showcasing his remarkable efficiency.

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In a previous interview last December, Anelka talked about his time at Real Madrid and the difficulties he faced in the dressing room. He shared that after the press conference announcing his arrival, when he went to the dressing room, he encountered a series of challenges.

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"After the press conference, I went to the dressing room. I arrived earlier and sat down, but players kept coming up to me and saying, 'That's my spot'," Anelka recalled. "I would ask, 'Oh, sorry. Can I sit here?' and then another player would come up and say, 'That's my spot'."

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"This happened about 20 times. I just thought, 'What am I doing here? This place is going to be hostile'," Anelka expressed. "That day was just the beginning of a nightmare."

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"I was 20 years old at that time and I couldn't walk on the street. Everything I did was talked about, and everything I bought would be in the newspapers the next day. The pressure was immense," Anelka shared about his time at Real Madrid.Paragraph 10:Although Anelka only scored 2 goals in La Liga during his time at Real Madrid, he made significant contributions during the UEFA Champions League and Intercontinental Cup matches against Bayern Munich. Ultimately, he helped Real Madrid lift the UEFA Champions League trophy. Just one year after joining the club, Anelka left the Bernabeu and returned to Paris to continue his football career.