Tomiyasu 'has the Ronaldo mentality' according to former club boss
Stefan Bienkowski
- 1 Oct 2021 12:19 BST
- 7 min read
The sporting director of one of Takehiro Tomiyasu’s former clubs has compared the defender’s mentality to that of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Japan international has been nothing short of outstanding for Arsenal since he made the move to the London club from Bologna in the summer for a fee of £16.74 million.
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Capable of playing at centre back or on the right flank, Tomiyasu’s tenacity and work ethic on the pitch has quickly won over the hearts of his new club and its passionate support.
It also helps that Arsenal have yet to lose a match in which Tomiyasu has featured in so far this season.
Indeed, the player’s arrival has already been considered a great success by the club and according to Andre Pinto, the sporting director at Tomiyasu’s club in Belgium, that’s down to the fact that the defender has a will to win that can only be matched by Manchester United forward Ronaldo.
’He has the Ronaldo mentality’
“What is amazing about Tomi is that he doesn’t accept anything that isn’t success,” Pinto said in an interview with Goal. “He’s not lucky, nothing for Tomi comes because he’s lucky. He’s just a hard working player.
“You find a lot of dedicated players, but Tomi has a little bit of the Cristiano Ronaldo mentality in terms of determination, in terms of working hard and in terms of eating healthy.
“He is the type of player who is never satisfied. He will always continue to work hard to keep developing himself.”
Tomiyasu’s impressive start at Arsenal couldn’t have come at a better time for Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Not only were Arsenal struggling in the Premier League and in desperate need of some fresh blood to provide stability in defence, but the Japanese defender has also stepped into a position left exposed by the departure of Hector Bellerin to Betis.
As such, Tomiyasu is undoubtedly player of the month for Arsenal fans and they can’t wait to see just how good he can be for them this season.
