This rings a bell.
For Cristiano Ronaldo, adapting to life in Italy has been a breeze. On the pitch, anyway. It took him four games to find his feet in Serie A but with 11 goals this season, it’s safe to say he has not let his standards slip.
In a recent interview with Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport, Ronaldo spoke openly about his move to Juventus, whether he misses Lionel Messi, and how he is getting on with his new teammates.
Regarding Messi, Ronaldo said: “Maybe I miss him a little. I have played in England, Spain, Italy, Portugal, with the national team, while he has stayed in Spain. Maybe, he needs me more.”
On missing out on the Ballon d’Or to his former teammate Luka Modrić, Ronaldo did not bother with any humility.
“I think I deserve it every year. I work for that, but if I don’t win it’s not the end of the world. I respect the decision,” he said.
But it was his comments regarding his new teammates, and his comparison with the dressing room at Real Madrid, that really struck a chord.
“It isn’t right to name someone specific but I can say that this is the best group in which I’ve played. Here, we are a squad, elsewhere, some players feel bigger than the others, instead here, everyone is on the same level, they are humble and want to win,” he said.
“If Dybala or Mandzukic don’t score, they are still happy and you see them smile. For me it is beautiful, to feel that difference. Also at Madrid they are humble, but here I feel that sense more.
“It’s very different to Madrid, here it is more of a family.”
His assertion that at Juventus it doesn’t matter who scores, whereas at Madrid there is too much intra-squad competition, will have amused Madrid fans who saw Ronaldo on many occasions look miffed not to be the player who scored.
Many times, Gareth Bale or Karim Benzema would score a rebound from a saved Ronaldo shot, and his expression would tell the whole story.
