Cristiano Ronaldo 'Behind The Scenes' Was Different From What Most People Think, Says Former Coach

Most people may have not seen Cristiano Ronaldo the way his former Sporting CP coach Dan Gaspar did.

Before Ronaldo became the legendary player he is today, he was once a soccer prodigy in Portugal. The young striker started playing for Portuguese side Sporting CP where one of the club’s coaches, Gaspar, took him under his wing.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Gaspar was asked to recount his time with Ronaldo in Portugal. One of the most interesting subjects the veteran coach addressed was the past rumors claiming his former pupil was “egoistic” and disrespectful to his teammates.

According to Gaspar, Ronaldo is the type of “leader” who prefers actions instead of words, and “people don’t realize” that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is an affectionate person.

“There are different types of leaders,” Gaspar explained. “[Cristiano] Ronaldo is one of those leaders who demonstrate not with words but instead through his actions. People often confuse arrogance with confidence. His leadership and maturity have evolved over the years. Through your experiences, you gain wisdom, knowledge, and compassion.”

“What people don’t realize is his tremendous generosity behind the scenes,” he continued. “[Ronaldo] He has a huge heart.”

Throughout his stellar career, Ronaldo has always been committed to exceeding and improving himself.

At 36 years old, the Juventus talisman is still passionate about winning and is still working hard to better his game.

For Gaspar, none of Ronaldo’s astonishing accolades surprises him at all as the man himself had aimed for it more than a decade ago.

“Once during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Ronaldo and I were alone in the steam room,” the USSF Project 2010 co-author recalled. “I had asked him, ‘What motivates you?’ and he had simply replied, ‘Winning. I want to be the best in the world, the best of all time.’ Ronaldo lives every second, minute, hour, day, week, month, and year of his life working hard to be the best of all times by shattering records.”

“He surrounds himself with a world-class team, the best medical staff, nutritionist, performance trainer, etc. who are all on the same mission. He’s always the first at the training ground and the last one to leave,” he added.

In the past decade, Ronaldo was a consistent Ballon d’Or candidate. This year is no different as “CR7” competes with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi for the sport’s most prestigious individual award.