Neville once played alongside Ronaldo at Old Trafford when the Portuguese star was very young. The two played 55 matches together before Neville moved to Everton in 2005, while Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009.
However, Al Nassr’s current superstar left a deep impression on Neville. According to the former MU defender, Ronaldo’s steely spirit is second to none and this is something that many young players need to learn throughout their careers: “Ronaldo is the most typical example of a person who, viewed from the outside, Everyone thinks he has natural talent, he doesn’t need to work hard. Ronaldo just needs to appear on the football field, look like a million dollar striker and just play.
But everyone needs to know that Ronaldo’s diligence and steely spirit are the most important things that make a good player. Only one hour a day he trained. The rest is up to Ronaldo to motivate himself. He came to the training ground early, did weight training, abs training, massage. Back home, Ronaldo hired a chef to take care of his nutrition and slept three hours in the afternoon.
Neville went on to talk about Cristiano Ronaldo during his early days at Manchester United: “Basically, a day in Ronaldo’s life, for me, is a perfect example. We always saw him going through the motions. After each training session, Ronaldo practices more by himself, carrying the ball around the entire Carrington training ground.
On the day before the match, Ronaldo practiced dribbling, jogging, walking, cycling, etc. for a distance of 3km around the football field. People often say Ronaldo has natural talent, but for him it’s also about working hard. Ronaldo watches clips on YouTube about a certain skill he likes, then goes out to practice alone, then brings it to the practice field with his teammates.”
The Manchester United legend constantly praised the Portuguese star: “Ronaldo’s steely spirit is a great lesson for young players. I saw that guy get kicked down a lot. He stood up, no. a complaint. Ronaldo is the most mentally strong player I have ever played with.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or while at Manchester United, and he later won it four more times as a Real Madrid player. Ronaldo’s steely spirit has certainly helped him become one of the greatest players in the world, as he scored 759 goals in 1013 matches.
Despite being a veteran, the 39-year-old former Manchester United striker is still at his peak, and he will lead Portugal to the Euros in Germany this summer. He helped the team win the championship, and has 15 goals in the list of top scorers in tournament history.
Ronaldo played his first Euro when he was just 19 years old in 2004, and the upcoming Euro is his sixth participation. Ronaldo currently holds the record for the most appearances with 25 matches at Euro. However, he is not the oldest player who will appear in Germany, as teammate Pepe is currently 41 years old.