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‘Pogacar is like Messi and Ronaldo’: How Trentin saw a champion in the making

Matteo Trentin, former teammate of Tadej Pogacar, identified the rare talent in the Slovenian rider in 2021 when the UAE Team Emirates star was defending his Tour de France title.

Having clinched his maiden title in the gruelling three-week-long race after a stunning performance on the penultimate stage, Pogacar was under pressure to defend his lead in the next edition of the Tour when Trentin revealed why he was confident of Pogacar winning the world’s toughest race twice in a row.

“I think he is one of the few guys you can call special in a sport, like when you see Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi in soccer, (Michael) Jordan, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant in basketball, he's one of a kind,” Trentin told Khaleej Times during an interview in 2021.

“He's physically, genetically better than us, that's the thing. You could see that… everybody was on the limit, but he was still breathing!”

Pogacar lived up to Trentin’s expectations, clinching the title again in 2021.

Now, five years later, Pogacar and Trentin are no longer teammates after the Italian moved to Tudor Pro Cycling Team in 2024.

But Trentin’s words have turned prophetic as Pogacar won a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title on Sunday, earning a place on Mount Olympus alongside Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.

Spain’s Indurain was the last rider to achieve the incredible feat of winning five Tour de France titles in 1995.

No wonder Pogacar was at a loss for words on Sunday.

“It was an amazing day, and I am speechless. It was an incredible day, an incredible atmosphere. I am happy that it is over and that we won for the fifth time,” the Slovenian rider said.

“Every victory is really special, and seven Tours already and seven times on the podium, with five wins, it is something that you wouldn’t even write in a storybook. It is just unbelievable, also for me.”

The 21-day race, covering a distance of 3,500 kilometres, was launched in 1903. For more than 120 years, this annual event has remained the biggest test of athletic endurance.

Team work

Now, what makes Pogacar’s achievement truly incredible is not his age.

Yes, at 27, he is the youngest to join the exclusive list of five-time Tour de France champions.

But it’s his versatility as a rider that is truly incredible.

For a natural sprinter, it’s an achievement of epic proportions to conquer this marathon five times — in 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025 and 2026.

But the unassuming cyclist knows that, without his team — UAE Team Emirates — it would not have been possible even for a generational talent like him to make history.

The world-class team of support staff at UAE Team Emirates has provided Pogacar with the resources, stability and family environment to become one of the greatest sportsmen of this century.

Having joined the team in 2019 as a 20-year-old rookie, Pogacar has gone from strength to strength as UAE Team Emirates’ coaches, mechanics and teammates have worked tirelessly to help his talent flourish on the big stage.

Earlier this year, Spanish sports media giant Marca named UAE Team Emirates the best sports team of the year 2025.

The UAE-based professional cycling team beat football giants Paris Saint-Germain and F1 champions McLaren for the prestigious Marca award.

Pogacar, whose first Tour title came just one year after joining UAE Team Emirates in 2019, thanked the team for providing him with an incredible support system.

“The most important thing is that you enjoy what you are doing, and you have good people around you that you trust,” he said.

“They help you, they are there for you when you are at your lowest, then you can build yourself up and chase your dreams. You have to set your goals always, and now I need to find a new goal after this.”

The Slovenian’s fifth title was won on the back of a strong and consistent performance from Barcelona to Paris, as he also registered five stage victories across the three weeks.

For UAE Team Emirates, the icing on the cake was their Mexican youngster Isaac del Toro finishing third overall.

The 22-year-old became the first rider from Mexico to earn a podium finish in the world’s most famous cycling event.

Del Toro will certainly draw a lot of inspiration from his legendary teammate, who has made it a habit of delivering masterclasses in the art of chasing impossible targets.

“If you enter the Tour de France, you have to suffer; you have to go through a lot to be at the Tour,” Pogacar said.

“You meet the biggest rivals, everybody in great shape, and everybody here is giving their best — so you have to suffer.”

It’s not difficult now to imagine Matteo Trentin enjoying his old teammate’s moment of glory.

A two-time world champion and a Tour de France legend, Pogacar has proved that Trentin didn’t compare him to Ronaldo, Messi and Michael Jordan just to grab the headlines.

Back in 2021, Trentin saw the fire that would propel the shy Slovenian into the league of immortals.