Dael Fry: The West Ham target who earned hero status for Cristiano Ronaldo interaction

Dael Fry once described Cristiano Ronaldo as "beautiful", in a tunnel interaction that earned the West Ham United-linked defender cult hero status at Middlesbrough.

The 28-year-old centre-back is a Middlesbrough lad by birth, having first joined the club aged seven.

He would eventually turn professional with the Teessiders in 2014, after years of turning heads in Boro's widely-respected academy system.

Fry made his first-team debut for Middlesbrough aged just 17 in August 2015, and has since gone on to make 296 senior appearances for his boyhood side.

As such, he was always going to be a popular figure among the Riverside Stadium faithful being one of their own.

However, the big defender really cemented his status as Boro cult hero when he revealed what he'd thought about Ronaldo when stood opposite the footballing icon in the tunnel.

What did Dael Fry say about Cristiano Ronaldo?

In early February 2022, Middlesbrough travelled to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup that year.

Boro, then led by manager Chris Wilder, drew 1-1 with Ralf Rangnick's men, with the scores staying the same after extra-time too, meaning a penalty shootout was needed to find the winner.

Middlesbrough won the shootout 8-7 with Fry scoring Boro's seventh, in what would be a famous night for the Teessiders.

However, speaking to BBC Tees via The Mirror after the game, Fry's words on Ronaldo and the moment they shared in the Old Trafford tunnel are still cited by Boro fans to this day.

"I didn't say anything to him. I didn't dare look at him to be honest," said Fry at the time.

"But when I did look at him he looked fake, do you know what I mean? He's so beautiful in real life. I was like wow!"

Speaking before the game, Fry made his admiration for Ronaldo clear, and even joked about what he was thinking of saying to the Man United legend.

"I am looking forward to going to Old Trafford and playing against probably one of the best to ever play the game in Ronaldo," he said.

"I've thought about it quite a lot, to be honest. I've thought about just kind of being stood near him and going, ‘Alright mate’, and see what he says.

"But even just to be stood that close to him will be crazy, but hopefully we can do a job on him as well."

Fry is exactly what West Ham need

Injuries have been a frustrating part of Fry's senior career, with them often being small, nagging issues rather than serious, long-term problems.

Playing 34 times and scoring three goals in all competitions last season, Fry was even handed the captain's armband on a number of occasions.

He's a real old-school, no-nonsense central defender; one who isn't always silky on the eye, but he's tough, and a player many strikers don't get the better of physically.

Aside from evolving into a real leader in this Middlesbrough team, Fry is also a great character, and would be a welcome addition to a Hammers dressing room for that reason alone.

The out-of-contract Boro star has proven himself to be a quality defender at Championship level, and with the added bonus of him being a first-class character too, this should be a no-brainer for West Ham.