Anthony Elanga is at the 2026 World Cup right now, and the 24-year-old Newcastle forward is still talking about what it was like to share a locker room with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United. It sticks with you, apparently.
Elanga sat down with Sweden Herald recently and opened up about his time alongside Ronaldo at Old Trafford. They played 25 games together and combined for one goal before Ronaldo’s messy exit in December 2022. Then Elanga got shipped out too, first to Nottingham Forest and then up to Newcastle last summer. But the lessons from those months together didn’t leave with the player.
When the reporter asked the standard Ronaldo-vs-Messi question, Elanga didn’t bite. He said you just have to enjoy watching both of them. But he got more specific when talking about what he took from Ronaldo personally. How the guy handles himself after training. The recovery routines. The off-field discipline. Elanga called it a great honor to have played with him and said he wishes Ronaldo would just keep going forever.
Though when asked if he sees himself playing at 41 like Ronaldo is doing right now, Elanga laughed it off a little. He said he’s only 24 and you never know, but he wasn’t ready to commit to another 17 years.
World Cup Encounter That Hasn’t Happened Yet
Ronaldo and Elanga have never faced each other in a competitive match. That could change at this World Cup depending on how the knockout bracket shakes out. Ronaldo already made history in Portugal’s second group game by becoming the first player to score in six different World Cups. He bagged a brace against Uzbekistan in a 5-0 win after Portugal opened with a 1-1 draw against Congo.
Elanga’s tournament has been quieter. Two appearances off the bench. A consolation goal in a 5-1 loss to the Netherlands. But his cameos have earned some attention back home. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the former United striker and Swedish national icon, praised Elanga’s performance against the Dutch. Elanga said when Zlatan talks, you listen. That’s a guy who knows what it means to play at the top level.
United fans remember Elanga for one moment more than anything else. Coming off the bench in the Champions League round of 16 against Atletico Madrid and scoring an equalizer in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. That was the promise. It didn’t fully bloom at United, but the kid is still out there, still learning, still sharing World Cup fields with the guys he used to watch on TV.
Maybe he catches up with Ronaldo on the pitch this summer. Maybe not. But he’s already got the stories.
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