Cristiano Ronaldo snubbed as Piers Morgan makes Granit Xhaka claim

Robin Bairner

• 1 Apr 2023 18:17 BST
• 3 min read

Piers Morgan has claimed that if he was to pick one footballer to fight for his life, it would be Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka, snubbing his friend Cristiano Ronaldo in the process.

Morgan has earned his fame in footballing circles for his friendship and promotion of Ronaldo throughout his career.

Indeed, he played a pivotal role in the Manchester United man leaving Old Trafford by mutual consent in November as he conducted an unsolicited interview with the player that sent shockwaves round the world game.

MORE: Ten Hag 'tells Man Utd board' to sign €100m striker who idolises Ronaldo

Morgan, though, is also an Arsenal supporter and has picked Xhaka as his ultimate footballing warrior.

He took to Twitter to tweet: “If I could choose a footballer to fight for my life, it would be Granit Xhaka.”

MORE: Ronaldo's incredible goal record since leaving Man Utd

Xhaka vs Leeds

Xhaka turned in a highly polished performance on Saturday as Arsenal overcame Leeds to restore their eight-point advantage over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, albeit with the defending champions having a game in hand.

After a slow start, the Gunners claimed a 4-1 win over Leeds, with Gabriel Jesus netting twice and Ben White also getting on target before Xhaka capped the victory with a goal six minutes from time.

His goal was a tidy header after a cross from deep delivered by Martin Odegaard.

It was Xhaka’s 12th direct goal contribution for Arsenal this season and his third goal in as many appearances for the club, which is impressive for a player who appeared to be on his way out of the club during Unai Emery’s reign as manager. Mikel Arteta, though, brought him back into the fold and the Switzerland international is one of the Gunners’ most integral players.