Video: Cristiano Ronaldo was very helpful towards Neymar at Ballon d'Or ceremony, says Kate Abdo
Ballon d’Or presenter Kate Abdo spoke about how Cristiano Ronaldo was very helpful towards Neymar during the Ballon d’Or ceremony. The English host, in an interview with Football Without Borders, discussed many more things, including how difficult it was for her to start working in football, her experience so far and the footballers she has interviewed so far.
Football without Borders is an initiative that helps kids get in touch with the biggest names in the industry and gain experience interviewing them about their experiences. The presenter on this occasion was Jannah, who spoke to Abdo, who is also the presenter for Sky Sports.
When she was asked who the best high-profile player she had interviewed so far was, she instantly named Cristiano Ronaldo, saying he was very open to questions, comfortable in front of the camera and easier to engage in conversation with. She also said that Lionel Messi was a little bit more shy, and reserved.
The interviewer also proceeded to ask her about how it was to actually meet Ronaldo and how did that interview go. In response, Kate Abdo said that it was very interesting, because Ronaldo is a very big brand, he’s so well known and on TV a lot that everyone thinks how he is going to react to any situation. However, seeing him off camera helped me try and see what sort of person he actually is.
She went on to say that Ronaldo helped Neymar out a lot during the rehearsal for the Ballon d’Or ceremony. As Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar came out for the practise together, the fact that both Ronaldo and Neymar speak Portuguese saw the Real Madrid man help the Barcelona man a lot, despite Messi and Neymar being good friends and teammates at Barcelona.
Abdo added, “He was just very kind and very caring towards Neymar, the way he looked out for him and made sure he knew what he was doing. And that’s a side [of Ronaldo] maybe you don’t expect.”
Ronaldo was speaking to Neymar continuously, telling him what needed to be done next, where he needed to go for his interviews and ensured that everything was translated properly for the Brazilian.
Though people might say the Portuguese captain was just being nice to Neymar because he is a player Real Madrid have expressed interest in, it is another example of the former Manchester United man’s kindness, something that isn’t spoken about a lot and is always undermined.