“People think he’s an extraterrestrial, but he was a normal guy”

Brazil defender Danilo has said that Cristiano Ronaldo always pushed players to do better in training and matches at Real Madrid and Juventus. He added that the Portuguese superstar always wants to get better.

Speaking to The Athletic, Danilo said that Ronaldo was always a normal guy who liked to joke around with his teammates at Real Madrid and Juventus. He believes that the fans feel that the striker acts like an ‘extraterrestrial’ because of what they see on the outside, and said:

“Yes, and I’d played with him at Madrid. In Turin, he was more experienced but still scoring a lot of goals, still professional all the time. He pushed you, made you perform at your best in training, in games. People think Cristiano is like an extraterrestrial, but he was a normal guy who would laugh and have a good time with his family. But of course, Cristiano lives for football, in almost everything that he does, to be better every day.”

Danilo played 112 matches with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus and Real Madrid. They have combined for four goals, two at each club, and all scored by the Portuguese superstar.

Why did Cristiano Ronaldo leave Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018?

Cristiano Ronaldo spoke about his decision to leave Real Madrid in 2018, saying that Florentino Perez was a key reason for his exit. The former Manchester United forward claimed that the feeling inside the club was that he was no longer important, and thus opted to take up a new challenge by joining Juventus.

“I felt it inside the club, especially from the president, that they no longer considered me the same way that they did in the start. In the first four or five years there I had the feeling of being ‘Cristiano Ronaldo’. Less afterwards. The president looked at me through eyes that didn’t want to say the same thing, as if I was no longer indispensable to them, if you know what I mean.”

“That’s what made me think about leaving. Sometimes I’d look at the news, where they were saying I was asking to leave. There was a bit of that but the truth is I always had the impression the president would not hold me back.” (via The Guardian)

Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Juventus in 2018 before returning to Manchester United in 2021. He eventually joined Al-Nassr in 2022, where he won his first Saudi Pro League title this season.