Former Premier League midfielder Jimmy Bullard has named the four “aliens” he played against who left him in disbelief with their abilities on the pitch.
Bullard played 90 times in the Premier League for the likes of West Ham, Wigan Athletic, Fulham and Hull City and received three England call-ups but never made a single appearance for the Three Lions.
In his pomp the 46-year-old was a tidy footballer with a knack for long-range efforts and set-pieces and Bullard wasn’t lacking in belief in his qualities on the pitch.
However, he was completely astonished by a quartet of players who he came up against in the English top tier – three of which were from Manchester United.
Bullard quickly realised he was well below the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes, as well as Arsenal legend Thierry Henry – whose pace and dribbling ability had him in awe.
Speaking on the Open Goal podcast, Bullard said: “I came up against four aliens, I call them aliens. I came up against Ronaldo, who was obviously unbelievable, Rooney, Thierry Henry – just phenomenal – and Paul Scholes.
“Them four, they did stuff differently. Thierry Henry took off and I’ve never seen anything like it. It wasn’t just how quickly he took off, it was how quickly he stopped.
“It was alien-like. When I said to you I believed I was better than them, them four no. I came off that pitch thinking, ‘I can’t do that’ and it demoralised me a bit.
“I actually believed I could get there – when you actually came off and go, ‘I’ve never seen that’ – when you’ve actually physically touched it and been there – it’s like, ‘I can’t do that’.”
Jimmy Bullard was left amazed by Cristiano Ronaldo. Image: Getty
Cristiano Ronaldo humiliated Jimmy Bullard in front of his dad
When at Wigan, Bullard came up against a young Ronaldo in the 2006 League Cup final. United thrashed the Lancashire outfit 4-0 at the Millennium Stadium, with Ronaldo and Rooney both on target.
And unfortunately for Bullard, Ronaldo rinsed the midfielder – nutmegging him and twisting him inside out down the right flank.
“He put through my legs in front of my old man,” Bullard recalled.
“Straight through my legs, runs around the other side. Ruinsville. Just ‘Goodnight!’ and then I’m clambering back. It’s just pathetic.
“I took 30 up from the pub. He stopped it on the byline and I think he’s momentum is going to take him and I’m gonna give him one. He stops on a sixpence.”
