I played against Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry – but Tottenham icon embarrassed me and left me in awe ...Middle East

Cristiano Ronaldo. Thierry Henry. Ronaldo Nazario. Zinedine Zidane. Rivaldo.

Arsenal legend Martin Keown tested himself against some of football’s greatest ever players during his 21-year professional career.

During his spell with the Gunners, Keown experienced first hand the silky skills that Manchester United icon Ronaldo had to offer.

He played against him during the infamous Battle of Old Trafford clash in September 2003, which saw the Portugal international leave Ashley Cole with egg on his face.

While he shared the pitch with Rivaldo on four occasions – twice for Arsenal against Barcelona in the Champions League – as well as twice for England against Brazil in international friendlies.

The 1997 friendly also saw Keown tasked with keeping Ronaldo Nazario quiet – as well as 1994 Ballon d’Or winner Romario.

Zidane was twice Keown’s nemesis during France vs England battles, with the 2000 friendly seeing the defender face Arsenal teammate Henry.

However, none of those five players left him in awe like Tottenham Hotspur cult hero Chris Waddle.

Speaking to talkSPORT.com, Keown was asked whether there was a particular moment from his career that a rival player left him in awe.

And without hesitating, his mind flashed to an encounter against Waddle in March 1989 at White Hart Lane during his third and final season at Aston Villa.

Waddle scored both goals in Spurs’ 2-0 win, finding the back of the net in either half.

His opener in the 23rd minute saw Waddle race onto a through ball on the edge of the box, before jinxing past Keown where he then rifled his shot into the roof of the net.

And his second was a thing of beauty, as he flicked the ball over Keown, before unleashing a stunning volley into the top right corner.

Commenting on who the footballer that left him starstruck on the pitch, Keown said: “Do you know what? It happened more than once!

“But one that sticks in my mind was playing against Chris Waddle for Spurs vs Villa.

“It was a midweek game and I went to press him on the edge of the box.

“And I got as tight as I could and he just hit it round me.

“And when I looked, it went over, he’s a left-footed player, it went over my left shoulder.

“And when I looked in the goal, it was in the right-hand side of the goal.

“It was like unbelievable, like a banana shot that he hit round me.

“So respect to him, he was a handful.

“And he probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves, top player.”

Waddle spent four seasons at Spurs, where he scored 42 goals in 173 matches in all competitions, which earned him a move to French giants Marseille.

He proved to be nothing short of sensational during his three years at Stade Velodrome – winning three consecutive Ligue 1 titles having banged in 29 goals from 149 outings.

His dazzling displays saw him named voted by fans as the club’s second best player in their first 100 years of existence, behind Jean-Pierre Papin.

Affectionately dubbed as ‘Magic Chris’, he certainly showcased his wizardry to Keown in a match he has never forgotten.

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