MATTY CASH bumped into Brazilian legend Ronaldinho days after being dumped out of the World Cup.
Poland lost 3-1 to France on Sunday in the last-16 as two Kylian Mbappe stunners set them apart.
But it was a valiant effort from the Poles and Cash, 25, had a good tournament for his mother’s home nation.
And he is taking a deserved break on the beaches of Qatar.
The Aston Villa star has even had the chance to meet a hero in Ronaldinho.
He posted it on Twitter and next to an emoji of a goat, Cash simply wrote: “Legend.”
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Despite Cash’s sunburn and Ronaldinho’s choice of attire, fans on social media absolutely loved the combo.
One wrote: “A footballing icon. And Ronaldinho.”
Another added: “The magician of the ball, captivating with a smile, like a panther on the pitch. Ronaldinho is cool too.”
Cash did his best to mark Kylian Mbappe during Poland’s defeat to Les Blues and walked away breathless after the game with his shirt as a mark of respect.
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It was the closest he had got to it all game.
Cash is no slouch and did his homework but there is only so much preparation anyone can do against the young ace.
Mbappe is just three games away from winning a second World Cup – two days before his 24th birthday.
England stand in his way on Saturday and Cash described the challenge that Kyle Walker and the Three Lions defenders will have this weekend.
He joked: “I watched the videos while lying in bed – then in real life Mbappe’s burning my legs, that’s the difference.
“It’s a massive difference, when he stands you up and moves he does it really well. He drops the shoulder, goes short then long.
“I got into a couple of races with him, and I did alright. You look over your shoulder and he’s there.
“For me personally it’s amazing, to have that experience and that learning curve.
“I’m obviously still a young kid, learning the game, and to be at a major tournament playing against the world’s best players is something you dream of, so it’s amazing.
“He is on a different level. It’s even hard stopping the ball getting to him because their game plan is to get the ball to the wingers and when it’s one v one you’ve got to try to stop him.
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“He obviously does it really well because he scores and he’s probably in the top two, three players in the world at the minute.
“But I’m delighted, playing against Messi and Mbappe in the space of four days is a learning curve. It’s a boy’s dream to play in a major tournament against these types of players and to get their match shirt.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
