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"From the first minute he arrived, he wanted to take over" - Ex-Real Madrid star on Cristiano Ronaldo's start at Los Blancos

Former Real Madrid attacking midfielder Guti has spoken about Cristiano Ronaldo's start to life in Valdebebas. The legendary Portuguese forward left Manchester United in 2009 for Spain, where he would spend another nine years.

Guti was part of Madrid's glorious era in the late 90s and early 2000s. He broke into the first team from the club's academy La Fabrica in 1995 and played at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2010 before leaving for Besiktas. He got to spend just one season with Ronaldo, playing 25 games alongside the new signing and providing him with three assists.

Guti recently spoke about Cristiano Ronaldo, revealing how his start at the Bernabeu had been (via @MadridXtra on X):

“How did Ronaldo start at Real Madrid? There was no doubt with him, from the first minute he arrived he wanted to take over, he set the bar so high. When he missed shots, he would go again and again, he knew at the end he would score.”

Ronaldo would go on to become one of the most important players at Real Madrid, leading the club into a new-found era of dominance. He notably won the UEFA Champions League four times at the club, while winning the FIFA Club World Cup thrice.


Former Real Madrid star talks about Cristiano Ronaldo's selfishness

Former Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has spoke about Cristiano Ronaldo's "unbelievable" selfishness. Like Guti, Van der Vaart spent just one season playing alongside Ronaldo at Los Blancos, giving him insight into the legendary forward.

In a conversation with talkSPORT, he opened up on what he learned about Ronaldo at Valdebebas, revealing (via Mirror):

"He never left his house! I always say as a joke, Ronaldo is the only player that I never saw his willy! He was the first one on the training [pitch]! And the last one who went. First of all his body, wow! A machine. He was a little bit ahead of his time, players now are the same. But his training in the gym, food, sleep.
"For him that was more important than training extra hard. Ronaldo was so unbelievably selfish, if we won 6-0 and he did not score, he was not happy. When we lose but he scored twice, it'd be alright!"

Van de Vaart likened Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy, adding:

"No, no! It was just that he needs to score. It was the same with Ruud van Nistelrooy, I had so many chats with him and it was so interesting because he was always like 'I need my goals! I need my goals!'"

Ronaldo went on to score quite a few goals at Real Madrid, becoming one of the best players in Los Blancos' illustrious history. He also became their highest-ever goalscorer, racking up 450 goals and 131 assists in just 438 games.

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