Cristiano Ronaldo credits his longevity and consistency to Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, who had an illustrious career in the last 17 years.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been at the top of his game since more than 15 years, and undoubtedly he was groomed under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. His time at Manchester United is still benefiting him and he even admits it.
In an interaction with France Football, Ronaldo was asked how he became such a prolific scorer while under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, and in reply, he credited Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs too.
“By using my brain. If you’ve got a little intelligence, you look and take an example from those who are doing things better than you. Ronaldo said.
“That’s what I did when I was in Manchester with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rio Ferdinand… if you don’t learn from guys like that, you’re an imbecile.
“The goal isn’t to imitate but to take aspects from those who are the best and adapt it to your own personality. That’s what I did. I had some talent and I watched them.
“Sir Alex Ferguson also taught me a lot, and I realised I had the potential to score, not only dribble and pass. I started to think of being a complete player without any weakness. I could score with my right foot, my left foot and my head. I’m strong and I’m quick.
“If you have this and a real ethic and a good lifestyle, you can still do it at 34-and-a-half.” Ronaldo, who is right now in the twilight of his career is still bashing goals at astronomical numbers and is not ready to stop easily and further talks about strong mentality.
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“We faced Lokomotiv Moscow, who refused to play and parked the bus in front of their goal,” he said, reflecting back on the recent Champions League match Juve played against the Russians.
“It was hard to score. I didn’t do it and I was frustrated at the end. That’s normal. The most important thing is that the team wins.
“But when I went back to the dressing room, I chilled out. After the match, I went to dinner with friends. I got home at four in the morning. I had a glass of iced water before bed. I slept until 10 then I had my breakfast.
“At 11, I went to work in the gym. If you don’t have that discipline every day, you can’t stay at the top for 15 years.”
Even at this age, Ronaldo is interested in knowing the success stories of other athletes and Nobel prize winners and seeks to get inspired. With such grit, Ronaldo has maintained himself at the top for all these years.
