Leicester City defender Ricardo Pereira has likened ‘ruthless’ team-mate Jamie Vardy to his national compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese right-back lines up with Vardy for his club and Juventus star Ronaldo for his country, and believes the pair are very similar in front of goal.
Vardy sits atop the Premier League top goalscorer charts this season with 11 goals, one ahead of Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham after netting the opener in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Arsenal.
And Vardy’s team-mate Pereira says that the league’s leading striker is not too dissimilar to his fellow Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of their finishing abilities.
“They are very different people but they are both ruthless in front of goal,” Pereira said. “It’s important to have a player like that. When he has a chance he scores.
“In some games where we don’t have many chances, it’s important to take them and score one goal.
"In some games the small details make the difference. We are happy to have him.”
Vardy has scored several crucial goals under Brendan Rodgers this season, including a double against Bournemouth, while also finding the back of net at key stages in the 2-1 victories against both Sheffield United and Burnley.
The 32-year-old also shared the match ball with fellow attacker Ayoze Perez in the record-breaking 9-0 win at Southampton.
He now has 91 Premier League goals in 188 games for Leicester, and is seemingly thriving under the attacking football of new boss Brendan Rodgers, having scored his 100th goal for the club in the manager’s home debut in March earlier this year.
The former England international now has eight goals in his last six appearances for the Foxes, with his side now second in the table, eight points behind league leaders Liverpool.
Pereira’s performances at the back have, however, been equally important to Vardy’s displays in front of goal, with Leicester boasting the best defensive record in the league.
Their eight goals conceded is one better than Sheffield United’s nine, and two better than Liverpool, but Leicester's right-back puts the success down to the collective effort of the entire team.
“It not only the back four, it’s the whole team, it’s another good thing not to concede a lot," Pereira added.