A former team-mate of Manchester United icon Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed what the star did to leave the young players at Juventus absolutely stunned.
After his £105m switch from Real Madrid to Juventus in 2018, the Portuguese forward immediately set a no-technology rule in the changing room to keep the squad’s eyes off their screens and on their work.
Banning mobiles in both the gym and changing area, the ex-United hotshot pushed for a social media shutdown to ensure laser focus on the pitch, reports the Manchester Evening News.
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On Rio Ferdinand’s podcast FIVE Sami Khedira, who shared the pitch with Ronaldo at both Juventus and Real Madrid, spoke about Ronaldo’s “ego” and his iron-fisted regime.
Khedira recalled how Ronaldo implemented his strict style at Juventus, saying: “Cristiano, when he came to Juventus, of course he had his ego.”
He went on to tell how Italian footballer Federico Chiesa was left gobsmacked by Ronaldo’s social media attitude, recalling: “Federico Chiesa was like a fantastic young player.
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(Image: Daniele Badolato – Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images)
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“He had his phone in his hand and was walking into the gym – Cristiano looked at him like ‘what are you doing and where are you going? Going to the gym with your phone – listen you don’t need your phone, go in the gym and work. Don’t do Instagram and don’t do any TikTok. Focus on your work’.”
Khedira noted that the younger players were left in awe of the sheer drive in Ronaldo’s training performance, adding: “The young players were like, wow. But even the quality of training when he came to Juventus, it was like a different level.”
The former footballer also said: “Every single shot on target was like I needed to score. Let’s not play about money but play about a bottle of wine or a dinner. He was a competitive guy but also really friendly, nice and humble. In my point of view.”
The Portuguese superstar ended his Juventus career with 101 goals from 134 matches after a three-year spell. He left to rejoin Manchester United but the move didn’t pan out and he left after just over a year back at Old Trafford following a falling out with Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo is still the main attraction in his older age as he heads into Euro 2024’s Round of 16 with Portugal, while also sparkling over at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. The 39-year-old broke the record last campaign for the most goals in a single season in Saudi Arabia, with 35 in total.