Jesse Lingard pays tribute to 'real icon' Cristiano Ronaldo but insists he didn't give him trouble

Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard has paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo by comparing him to Michael Jordan due to his career achievements.

The Portuguese picked up his second Serie A title in a row and the 32nd trophy of his illustrious career after Juventus beat Sampdoria on Sunday.

The feat was also Ronaldo's seventh league title, one more than NBA icon Jordan, who won six championships with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.

And when asked to pick a footballer whose achievements compared with Jordan ahead of the NBA restart on Thursday, Toronto Raptors fan Lingard told Sky Sports:  'I have to say Cristiano Ronaldo.

'Everything he has achieved in his career. He has been at plenty of clubs and won many trophies. I believe he is a real icon of football, the Michael Jordan of football.

'When [Ronaldo] first came to Manchester United, I was 11 or 12. We did a skills DVD and it was him teaching us skills which was good. That was the first time I had seen him. He was young and skinny when he came [to the club].'

Lingard has only faced Ronaldo in club competition once, which came in last season's Champions League group stage when United beat Juventus 2-1 at the Allianz Stadium.

The duo were also involved in the 2017 UEFA Super Cup, but were not on the pitch at the same time as Real Madrid beat United in Skopje by the same scoreline.

But when he has played against him, Lingard insists the Juventus star has not posed too many problems.

'I have played against him a few times. Did he give me trouble? No, he wasn't too bad, to be fair!,' Lingard continued.

'There was one game in pre-season where he came on and you could see the skills and the qualities that he brought.'