“When I was younger, I didn’t understand when Cristiano Ronaldo told me” - Dejan Kulusevski shares advice from Portugal superstar at Juventus
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dejan Kulusevski has revealed that he recently understood what Cristiano Ronaldo told him while they were both at Italian side Juventus. He said he didn't understand Ronaldo's message at the time because he was younger.
Before joining Tottenham from Juventus in January 2022, Kulusevski shared the locker room with Cristiano Ronaldo for one season at the Allianz stadium. They shared the pitch 40 times and also won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana in the 2020-21 season. Their time together at the club was curtailed after Cristiano Ronaldo left the club the following season.
In a recent interview with Fotboll Skanalen, Kulusevski made it known that he couldn't comprehend what Ronaldo told him some years back. However, he claims to now understand the message in hindsight.
He said (via Football.London):
"To not be satisfied with being good, but to be the best every day. That's the only thing that matters. As hard as it is to try to be the best. I think that you learn over time, that you begin to understand much more about how the world and the brain work. You can't be 17 and know everything.
"Yes, I always change. I'm starting to get to know my body. When I was younger, I didn't understand when [Cristiano] Ronaldo told me: You will get to know your body. Because I didn't know my body then."
He added:
"But now I'm starting to understand my strengths and weaknesses, how I can improve. So I feel like everything is getting easier. I know how to train the day before a match, two days before a match, what to do when I'm tired and so on. All the little details that in the end make a big difference."
Cristiano Ronaldo currently plies his trade at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, while Dejan Kulusevski plays for Tottenham Hotspur.
Former Juventus CEO says he did not agree with the club signing Cristiano Ronaldo
Earlier this year, former Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta revealed that he didn't concur with the Juventus board's decision to sign Cristiano Ronaldo back in 2018. After successful years at Real Madrid, the Portugal captain opted for a new challenge at Juventus. However, not everyone in the Juventus hierarchy agreed with the decision to splurge a whopping £105 million on him.
Giuseppe Marotta, who is now the CEO of Inter Milan, was one of those who objected to the decision. He said (via GOAL);
''I must recognise that I spent 10 wonderful years at Juventus, but when the owners want to adopt a different strategy, then a manager must take a step back. It was fair to respect the club’s desire. I partially didn’t agree with signing Ronaldo. The player can’t be questioned, but the deal was demanding in financial terms. It was not the element that brought the splitting; the cycle was over, and we had to change.”
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 101 goals and provided 22 assists in 134 games in three years at Juventus, winning multiple trophies.