Goalkeeper Louis Yamaguchi admits that Cristiano Ronaldo no longer maintains the level and form he had 10 years ago.

Louis Yamaguchi, the 26-year-old goalkeeper for Kawasaki Frontale, shared his experience of facing Cristiano Ronaldo in the AFC Champions League semi-final, where his team won 3-2 against Al-Nassr on Wednesday.

Yamaguchi, who faced Ronaldo and other stars like Sadio Mane, spoke about how he prepared for the match. "Facing a legend like Ronaldo, you prepare for the match differently, but once you're on the field, he's just another opponent. He’s not the same Cristiano as he was 10 years ago. At first, of course, all the attention is on his presence, but in the end, we had to focus on the whole game because he wasn’t the only one on the field," Yamaguchi explained.

The Japanese goalkeeper also revealed that he studied Ronaldo’s penalty kicks and free kicks, although he emphasized that this was standard preparation for all players.

"Yes, I watched how he takes penalties and free kicks, but we do that with every player," Yamaguchi continued.

The defining moment of the match came near the end when Ronaldo had a golden opportunity to equalize. After a breakaway in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, Ronaldo managed to get past Yamaguchi – who came out quickly – but the Portuguese star’s shot went wide as an opposing defender closed him down.

Looking back on that moment, Yamaguchi recounted: "At the end of the match, I walked up to shake his hand, and he said to me, 'Normally I score in that situation, but you did well closing the angle.' I was really happy to hear that." During the game, Yamaguchi also thwarted several of Ronaldo's attempts on goal.

Louis Yamaguchi has represented Japan at youth levels, including U19, U20, and U23 teams. He participated in the 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup and helped Japan's U23 team win silver at the 2019 Toulon Tournament. Although he hasn't been called up to the senior national team, he is considered one of Japan’s most promising goalkeepers, highly rated at the youth levels.

After the match, Ronaldo posted on his X account: "Sometimes, dreams must wait. I’m proud of this team and everything we did on the pitch. Thank you to all the supporters who have trusted and supported us every step of the way. Your support is priceless."