"Anyone" vs "someone"

Hi, Subhajit,

@subhajit123 posted:

1- I have never played against anyone/someone like him before.

2- I don't want to speak to anyone/someone like you.

3- There will never be someone/anyone like Ronaldo in the history of football.

In line with my explanation here, I merely find "anyone" to be more emphatic than "someone."

Curiously, only "someone" would be possible in subject position in similar negative statements. I can only think of a natural sentence for (3):

3a. Someone like Ronaldo has no parallel in the history of football ("soccer" in AmE).

Custodian/janitor No. 1 knocks on the restroom/toilet door : "Is there anyone in there?" He doesn't know, but since nobody answers, he assumes the room is unoccupied. He enters it and finds nobody. He then cleans the place.

Custodian No. 2 does not enter the restroom because she hears some noise in there.  So she loudly asks:  "Is there somebody in there?"  She  hears  a voice say, "Yes, there is." She responds: "No problem. I will return later."

That's another good point, TheParser. In the interrogative, "any" is neutral as to the answer expected (it could be affirmative or negative) while "some" expects an affirmative answer. "Some" is therefore convenient in polite requests where we expect the other person to accept our offer or invitation:

- Would you like some wine? (I hope you want some.)

"Would you like any wine?" may sound impolite, the implied meaning being "I just don't care whether you would or not."

Thanks, Gustavo.

Yes, your "wine"  example is something that all learners should understand, especially if they one day decide to pay a surprise visit to a friend, who just happens to be eating lunch at that time!