Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted that becoming a football legend requires both talent and hard work. The 39-year-old Al Nasr superstar insists that his success has been built on enormous sacrifice and discipline, suggesting that it would be very difficult to achieve the consistency he has achieved.
Cristiano Ronaldo has defined consistency for the past 17 years.
Aside from his nemesis Lionel Messi, no player has dominated the game as decisively over the past few decades as Cristiano Ronaldo. He has played for some of Europe’s biggest teams, including Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. He first dazzled the Premier League with his quick feet at Manchester United, and within nine years, he emerged as Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer (451 goals in 438 games), and eventually became the fastest scorer to 100 goals in Juventus history. 131 games).
Now at Al-Nasr, Ronaldo continues his good work and shows the world that age is just a number for him. He played in 28 games for the Riyadh club in the Saudi Professional League this season, scoring 33 points and providing 10 assists. Ronaldo may have missed out on the league title, but he will no doubt be aiming to win it next season.
Ronaldo revealed the secret to his longevity.
The top scorer in men’s international football (128 goals) told the Whoop podcast how he became one of the most respected players of all time – and how he never let the crown fall.
The Real Madrid icon said (via GOAL):
“Talent without work is nothing, and work without talent is nothing. They have to work together at the same time. I have both. I can’t say I have more of one than the other. Small details make a difference. Consistency is the hardest thing.
“allAre you willing to do that? This is key because everyone wants to be Cristiano but it is difficult to do so. Discipline is the most difficult task. I fight with my mind sometimes. We are all human. Of course, I don’t like going to the gym every day, and no one does, but you have to do it..”
Considering how ruthless Ronaldo has been this season, it’s safe to say he has no plans to retire just yet. It will be interesting to see if he can bring his Al Nasr form to Portugal when they travel to Germany for the 2024 European Championships.
