Josef Martinez reveals his childhood soccer idol

During this week’s Atlanta United: Match Week hosted by Brittany Arnold on Fox Sports Southeast (Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.), Josef Martinez was interviewed. In the wide-ranging interview that you can watch in full below, the Five Stripes striker talks about what he loves about Atlanta (spoiler: Fans, Teammates, etc.).

On a personal level, one thing that stood out to me was when he was asked about which soccer player he looked up to as a child. His answer: Ronaldo

No, not the lame Ronaldo that’s all over the headlines today. The real Ronaldo. “El Fenomeno” — Brazil’s No. 9 Ronaldo.

If you’re a striker, it’s probably wise to look up to possible the greatest striker who’s ever played the game. While kids today may be unaware of Ronaldo’s brilliance in his prime, those of us who’ve been around the sport for a while will never forget him. It’s very interesting that Josef says that Ronaldo was his idol ever since he was a kid. While Josef doesn’t possess the Brazilian’s size, he certainly shares his explosiveness.

It’s always fascinating to see who current day players looked up to. It fills my heart with joy to know that Josef looked up to one of my all-time favorites as well.