Ricardo Pepi has revealed how Cristiano Ronaldo inspired him, with the Portuguese icon helping the USMNT star to chase a Champions League “dream”.
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- American frontman watched Champions League growing up
- Wanted to follow in footsteps of all-time greats
- Reached the top in Europe following move to Eindhoven
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WHAT HAPPENED?
United States international Pepi decided at a young age – when growing up in El Paso, Texas – that he wanted to pursue a career as a professional soccer player. Reaching the top felt a long way off at that stage, but watching legends such as five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo had him believing that anything was possible.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Pepi took his first steps down a path towards the Champions League when leaving MLS for German side Augsburg in 2022, with a loan spell at Dutch side Groningen last season seeing him register 13 goals. Those efforts were enough to tempt PSV into completing a €10 million (£9m/$11m) transfer, with Pepi now gracing elite European competition in Eindhoven.
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WHAT PEPI SAID
Pepi has told the podcast of following in the footsteps of his boyhood idols: “I remember growing up watching players like Cristiano Ronaldo and always watching the Champions League, so my dream was always to one day be playing in the Champions League. I couldn’t believe it when it happened. It’s a dream come true. You don’t really know how you got there, it’s something that happens very fast.”
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WHAT NEXT FOR PEPI?
USMNT forward Pepi made his Champions League bow against Sturm Graz in the 2023-24 qualifying round – registering his first goal along the way – with the Eredvisie outfit going on to reach the last-16 after progressing out of a group that included Arsenal, Lens and Sevilla.