“In the dressing room, he was a bit of a joker” - Ex-Sporting CP coach on working with a young Cristiano Ronaldo
Former Sporting CP coach Laszlo Boloni recalled the humorous side of Cristiano Ronaldo, who started off his illustrious career at the Portuguese side two decades ago.
The 38-year-old Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the best players to have graced the beautiful game and one of the most lethal goalscorers. Having netted over 850 goals for club and country, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is still going strong.
Boloni oversaw a precocious 17-year-old Ronaldo make his Sporting debut in a UEFA Champions League qualifier with Inter Milan in 2002, immediately realising that the player was special.
In an interview with Marca (via the Sun), the Romanian boss recalled that Ronaldo exuded maturity far beyond his years:
"I went to see the youth team and asked if Cristiano could come along with the first team because he was in good physical condition, was really quick and had great technical ability. None of this was a surprise. When I saw him in action, I decided that he wasn't going to go back to playing with the youth team.
"He played and behaved like someone way beyond his years. In the dressing room he was a bit of a joker, but, on the pitch, he was exceptional. To have the level of maturity that he did isn't common for someone of 16 to 17 years of age."
Coming on the 58th minute of the contest, Cristiano Ronaldo's team drew goalless, but there would be no looking back for the Portugal captain.
"I didn't know that Cristiano Ronaldo was going to be one of the best ever" - Laszlo Boloni
Cristiano Ronaldo has played for some of the top clubs in the game, like Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus, winning league titles with all of them.
Among many laurels, he's the first player to appear in five UEFA Champions League finals and the only one to score for two different winning teams in the title match.
In the aforementioned interview, Boloni, now the FC Metz boss said that Ronaldo would overtake his illustrious compatriots Luis Figo and Eusebio.
"I didn't know that he was going to be one of the best ever, but I did know that, if he avoided injuries, he would be a very good player. At that time, I was asked about him in an interview, and I said that he would surpass Luis Figo and even Eusebio.
"Comparing a young player to those two, who are considered Gods in Portugal, caused me some problems. Ronaldo, though, has proven that I was right all along."
The Al-Nassr forward is coming off a fabulous year for club and country, scoring 54 times, the most by any player.