Arjen Robben was more difficult to play against than Cristiano Ronaldo, says ex-Liverpool star

EXCLUSIVE: Arjen Robben made for a tougher opponent than Cristiano Ronaldo, according to a Champions League winner.

While the Portuguese icon is undoubtedly one of the greatest to have ever graced the game, this Liverpool legend has given his explanation for why he was much more concerned when he had to deal with the Dutchman.

John Arne Riise says it was easier to play against Cristiano Ronaldo than Arjen Robben

Having gone toe-to-toe with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Arjen Robben, John Arne Riise is in the perfect position to compare the two superstars of the game. And for him, it was a trickier task to come up against the Bayern Munich hero.

In an exclusive interview with Sporf, via World Cup Betting, the 45-year-old explained: “When it comes to Cristiano Ronaldo when he was at Manchester United, he was more a winger then, he was obviously difficult to play against because of his pace, but he’d stop the ball still and do tricks, but with Robben, he’d just get the ball and have a go at you. For me, I hated playing against very quick wingers, because it’s hard to stop the pace. Skill-wise, Ronaldo was up there with the best of the best. But as a left-back, it was harder when Robben came at me with the ball; he never stops, inside, outside, shooting, crossing. It was much harder to know what to do when he came at me like that.”