"It's 4 AM, I turn around and there's Cristiano Ronaldo" - Ex-Real Madrid coach explains incident that sums up Portugal icon's professionalism
Former Real Madrid assistant manager Paul Clement has claimed that it was very easy to coach Cristiano Ronaldo. Clement was a part of former manager Jose Mourinho's entourage during his stint with the Spanish outfit between 2013 and 2015.
The former Juventus talisman is the most decorated Portuguese player of all time. He's playing his sixth Euro tournament, the most by any international player. Furthermore, he has the most international caps (208) and the most international goals (130).
Ronaldo won scores of trophies during his time with the Los Blancos and among them were four UEFA Champions League titles. He played 438 games with the club and scored 450 goals and 131 assists, becoming their all-time top scorer.
Clement said that the 39-year-old is one of the finest professionals. Not only did he score plenty of goals, but he was also one the first to run back to defend. Here's what the former Real Madrid assistant manager said (via The Athletic):
"It was a privilege to share a dressing room with him, it is very easy to coach Cristiano Ronaldo. I cannot remember anybody who was a better professional; the demands he puts on himself, the aim for perfection, to improve every day.
"A player like Cristiano is always different but, with Jose, the team was always above everybody. There were moments when Cristiano scored goals, as he always did, but there were also moments when Jose and the team knew they needed to defend."
"And Cristiano was the first who defended, too. You have to make him see that, apart from all the goals he scores, there are other moments when you need to do certain tactical things."
The 52-year-old narrated an incident wherein Ronaldo was pulling former teammates Pepe and Fabio Coentrao for an ice bath at 4 am. He called it 'ultra-professional' while narrating the incident:
"After a game, it's 4 am and I turn around and there’s Cristiano, pulling Pepe and Fabio Coentrao towards the main building: ‘We’re going for an ice bath’. It’s 4 am and not only is he doing it, he’s getting others to participate as well. It’s ultra-professional. These are the things he does, over and over."
The Portuguese talisman bid farewell to Real Madrid and joined Juventus in 2018 for a reported €100 million fee.
Ronaldo is yet to score for Portugal in Euro 2024
The 39-year-old is perhaps playing his last European championship. He played an instrumental role when Portugal won the Euro in 2016, beating France 1-0 in the final. While the former Manchester United star was substituted due to injury, he managed to bag his first international trophy.
At Euro 2024, Portugal have played two games so far, beating Czech Republic 2-1 and Turkiye 3-0. However, Ronaldo hasn't found the back of the net yet. He did provide an assist in their comfortable win over Turkiye on Saturday, June 22.
Portugal are drawn in Group F and will play their final group-stage game against Georgia on Wednesday, June 26. They have already qualified for the Round of 16.