Manchester United legend Dimitar Berbatov names former teammate who trained better than Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United legend Dimitar Berbatov has named a former teammate, he says, trained better than Cristiano Ronaldo.
The talismanic Bulgarian striker spent four years at Old Trafford, forming a formidable partnership with Ronaldo for a season (2008-09), winning the Premier League title.
However, Berbatov doesn't deem the forward as the player who trained the best, instead naming former captain Gary Neville. Berbatov told FootyAccums (via Express):
“Purely on training and wanting to produce in every training session and working hard, I must say Gary Neville is up there."
He continued:
"He trained very hard every session, to be honest. It was just like his professionalism and wanting to still show that he was better than the other players around him."
#TheGroupChat w/@Betfair- Best Trainer?
- Worst Trainer?
- Best friend?
- Most underrated teammate
- Best finisher
DImitar Berbatov gives us his quick fire questions! Man Utd and Spurs fans will LOVE some of these answers! 👀
⚽ #TheGroupChat w/@Betfair⚽ https://t.co/bWPQQ7IipN
Ronaldo's dedication to training has long been heralded by many. His former coach Aitor Karanka spoke about his professionalism, in a recent interview with Mirror Sport, saying:
“It was a pleasure and a privilege to have worked with Cristiano. He is a proper professional and a leader – but not one who is always shouting, but he shows he is a leader with his work ethic. He is the first player at the training ground and the last player to leave. He always is driven to win and to score goals."
Cristiano Ronaldo to inspire Portugal to 2022 FIFA World Cup?
Portugal face Turkey in a huge FIFA World Cup playoff semi-final as Ronaldo looks to make his fifth straight appearance at the quadrennial tournament.
The Manchester United star has returned to form in recent weeks, scoring a scintillating hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League a week ago.
He is now the highest goalscorer in the history of professional football.
All smiles in Portugal training 🇵🇹 https://t.co/GCwBYWPNXy
Portugal will pin their hopes on their talisman to once again be at his best as they face a tricky Turkish side eyeing a return to the World Cup for the first time since 2002.
With the United star, Bernado Silva and Bruno Fernandes in their ranks, Portugal will start as the favourites, but Turkey won't be any pushovers. They boast the likes of Burak Yilmaz, Hakan Calhanoglu and Halil Dervisoglu in their ranks.
Nevertheless, many fans will hope to see Ronaldo have a potential swansong in Qatar, as a World Cup without the legendary forward feels incomplete.