I was tipped to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo – now I hope to be a Rangers icon

Fabio Silva, a striker for Wolves, was once predicted by Sporting Lisbon great Manuel Fernandes to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo. The striker is now on loan at Rangers.

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.”

This may be an intriguing signing for the team, as Rangers reportedly held off fierce competition to capture Fabio Silva, including from Old Firm rivals Celtic.

Recent transfer examples Abdallah Sima and Malik Tillman demonstrate that the Gers are a productive environment for young players looking to advance in their development.

Rangers are aiming 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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