I’m a Man Utd legend and I played against Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo but James Milner was my toughest opponent
MANCHESTER UNITED legend Patrice Evra has shockingly named James Milner as his toughest opponent ever.
The Frenchman played against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in his stellar career, but reckons facing the Liverpool star was more of a challenge.
Evra has faced Milner 21 times in his career, winning eight games and losing seven.
Despite getting the run around from Ronaldo in Man Utd training and from Messi in the 2011 Champions League final, Milner is the one Evra dreaded as he could prevent his attacking moves from left-back.
He told Vibe with Five podcast: “The toughest player I have played against is James Milner.
“This guy frustrated me, he was so strong, going into the challenge, going into the air, tackling.
“I was like ‘attack’, he follows you everywhere. He was a machine.
“You go in the toilet, this guy is following you even in the toilet.
“Cristiano, he knew in training when he came to my side, I was like ‘it’s the ball or the man’, it can’t be both.
“And I promise you in training, after three minutes, he was going to the other side because I didn’t want him to ridicule me. I have got kids.”
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Evra previously stressed it was Milner‘s hard work and defensive abilities that made him so difficult to come up against.
He told The Times: “He defended more than me, and he wasn’t a defender.
“He worked harder than any player. I couldn’t breathe when I got the ball because he was always about to tackle me.
“I needed two weeks to recover after playing against him.”
Evra also referred to Milner as his “most annoying” opponent, especially when he joined Manchester City and had quality surrounding his determination.