Ronaldo - A lesson for us all?

grahamdavid

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EURO 2020 | PAUL HIRST

From ‘Noodle’ to the crème de la crème – secrets of Ronaldo’s enduring billiance​

Teased about his build as a teenager, the Portugal star pushed his body to the limit​


Ronaldo follows a strict and astonishing diet with one report claiming that he eats six times a day

Ronaldo follows a strict and astonishing diet with one report claiming that he eats six times a day
GETTY IMAGES

Given that he has the physique of a Greek god, it may come as something of a surprise to hear that Cristiano Ronaldo was once mocked in Portugal for his gangly appearance.

“Noodle” is the nickname he was given by his Sporting Lisbon team-mates during his early teens.

The young winger was not happy with the moniker, so he decided to do something about it. Ronaldo used to sneak into the academy gym at Sporting’s training ground on his own at night to add more muscle to his upper body. Ronaldo’s secret trips to the gym went unnoticed for a while, but one day a staff member from the academy spotted the Portuguese pumping iron and told him that he should not be putting his body under so much stress at such a young age and ordered him to go home.

In many ways, the episode typified Ronaldo’s attitude. No matter how many times people doubt him or write him off, his determination to succeed never diminishes. That is why, at the age of 36, Ronaldo keeps delivering on the biggest stages. The Juventus striker is the fourth oldest outfield player at Euro 2020. Only his Portugal team-mates José Fonte (37) and Pepe (38), and the 38-year-old North Macedonia captain, Goran Pandev, have been around longer.
And yet on Tuesday night Ronaldo was named man of the match after scoring the 105th and 106th goals of his international career to give Portugal a 3-0 win over Hungary in Budapest.

A wry smile crossed the face of Mick Clegg, 1,300 miles away in Ashton-under-Lyne, when Ronaldo was tearing Hungary apart.
Clegg is a power and development coach who puts footballers, athletes and other professionals through a training programme he calls “seed of speed” in his gym in Greater Manchester. He worked with Ronaldo for 5½ years.

That Ronaldo continues to be one of the best on the planet does not surprise Clegg, who was struck by his confidence on their first encounter, at Manchester United’s training ground in 2003. “He was already in good condition when he came to United, but once we put everything together from a physical, dietary and football point of view, you come up with the ultimate machine to play football, and that is what he is,” Clegg says. “What he’s done has been remarkable.”

Clegg’s initial aim was to improve Ronaldo’s strength. He did so by instructing the winger to undertake lateral dumbbell raises, which involves slowly raising weights parallel to the shoulders, while keeping the back straight. Such exercises helped Ronaldo to fend off opposition players. Squats were prescribed to help Ronaldo jump higher. Power cleans (lifting a barbell from the floor to your chest) helped to create that explosive take-off when he sprints away from his marker.

“His mind is way ahead of anyone else I’ve worked with,” Clegg says. “When he jumps, it’s his mentality that gets him there before anyone else. His emotional being drives those muscles to get the best out of them.”

Ronaldo made the headlines this week when he moved two bottles of Coca-Cola, a Euro 2020 sponsor, away from him as he sat down to give a press conference and held up a bottle of water instead. “Agua. Coca-Cola, no,” he said.
Those who work with him say that from a young age Ronaldo decided to avoid fizzy drinks, because of their sugar content. He only drinks alcohol on special occasions, and even then he will not consume more than one glass of wine.

Ronaldo follows a strict and astonishing diet. One report last year claimed that he eats six times a day (breakfast, snack, two lunches and two dinners). His favourite dish is bacalhau à brás, which is a mixture of cod, onions, thinly sliced potatoes and scrambled eggs. Ronaldo’s diet also includes swordfish, tuna and olives. He loves a siesta — a practice he continued during his time in Manchester — and is said to complete five gym sessions a week. He also does pilates and swims regularly.
While at United, Ronaldo became one of the first footballers to employ a private chef.
He encourages his family to eat healthily too, although the eldest of his four children, Cristiano Jr, 11, sometimes ignores his advice.
“I’m hard on him sometimes because he drinks Coca-Cola and Fanta and I’m pissed off with him,” Ronaldo said recently. “I fight with him when he eats chips and fries and everything, he knows I don’t like it.”
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Slamming his 11 year old for having a sip of Fanta is a bit OTT to say the least . The boy will end up a nervous wreck . Nothing wrong in instilling good habits but let kids be kids ffs
 
Definitely been on PEDs.

I think he’s far from alone though, I think the EPL for example is full of it.

Right down to the level that you look at the build and athleticism of some English youngsters compared to Scottish and it’s night and day. This shouldn’t be the case with such a small geographical distance.

Any sport where there’s so much cash is tainted with it - Tennis, Boxing, cycling. I don’t think football will be any different.
 
Definitely been on PEDs.

I think he’s far from alone though, I think the EPL for example is full of it.

Right down to the level that you look at the build and athleticism of some English youngsters compared to Scottish and it’s night and day. This shouldn’t be the case with such a small geographical distance.

Any sport where there’s so much cash is tainted with it - Tennis, Boxing, cycling. I don’t think football will be any different.
You don’t think the case that they are just far more professional has anything to do with it?

Im sure Wright put on something like 4kg of muscle after joining us from Aberdeen for example
 
The guy is incredible. Gets so much stick for being "arrogant", but he puts in the work so for me it isnt arrogance,its pure confidence in himself and rightly so.

He seems to be a good guy and is contstantly acting the way a true football icon should.

Just shows that taking good care of his body and mind that playing to the top level at 40 will be possible.
 
Definitely been on PEDs.

I think he’s far from alone though, I think the EPL for example is full of it.

Right down to the level that you look at the build and athleticism of some English youngsters compared to Scottish and it’s night and day. This shouldn’t be the case with such a small geographical distance.

Any sport where there’s so much cash is tainted with it - Tennis, Boxing, cycling. I don’t think football will be any different.

PEDs are rife in every top sport, snyone who thinks otherwise is very naive.

the testing is so easy to get around if you have experts sorting out their cycles, plus some of the stuff isnt even tested for
 
Definitely been on PEDs.

I think he’s far from alone though, I think the EPL for example is full of it.

Right down to the level that you look at the build and athleticism of some English youngsters compared to Scottish and it’s night and day. This shouldn’t be the case with such a small geographical distance.

Any sport where there’s so much cash is tainted with it - Tennis, Boxing, cycling. I don’t think football will be any different.

This...

Absolutley no doubt players are juiced to the max these days
 
Not going to get into his family/ personal life because I know nothing about his private life but scoffing at junk food and sugary drinks isn't a bad habit to develop. Our very own Souness is a massive advocate against junk food due to his health issues.

Ronaldo has lived the dream and by the looks of it, he's not even close to hanging up his boots. He's a credit to the game.
 
You don’t think the case that they are just far more professional has anything to do with it?

Im sure Wright put on something like 4kg of muscle after joining us from Aberdeen for example

I think if it was as simple as application and lift and shift of whatever is happening in the big leagues then someone would be doing it here already.

I don’t doubt that Wright has gained 4 kg but pro body builders on allsorts of gear would struggle to pile on that of pure muscle that in the same time. Not a bad thing if it’s not all muscle though football is more about performance.

There’s people a lot more qualified to give insight than me on that but the surplus of calories, and effort in the gym to do this would make it really difficult for him to perform on the park. Also gaining muscle alone is very difficult.
 
You don’t think the case that they are just far more professional has anything to do with it?

Im sure Wright put on something like 4kg of muscle after joining us from Aberdeen for example

Id imagine Wright gained 4kg of weight since joining, not all muscle, even for an athlete its very hard to gain just muscle without some fat/water, especially in a month or two.
 
On ability alone, he would have probably only turned out a very good player, but his dedication and attitude has made the absolute most of his talents, and he’ll go down as one of the greatest ever because of that.
 
I think if it was as simple as application and lift and shift of whatever is happening in the big leagues then someone would be doing it here already.

I don’t doubt that Wright has gained 4 kg but pro body builders on allsorts of gear would struggle to pile on that of pure muscle that in the same time. Not a bad thing if it’s not all muscle though football is more about performance.

There’s people a lot more qualified to give insight than me on that but the surplus of calories, and effort in the gym to do this would make it really difficult for him to perform on the park. Also gaining muscle alone is very difficult.

So what you're saying is Gerrard and Beale are jagging our players full of the juice? :D

Your post will be on Kerrydale Street later. 10 pager!
 
Definitely been on PEDs.

I think he’s far from alone though, I think the EPL for example is full of it.

Right down to the level that you look at the build and athleticism of some English youngsters compared to Scottish and it’s night and day. This shouldn’t be the case with such a small geographical distance.

Any sport where there’s so much cash is tainted with it - Tennis, Boxing, cycling. I don’t think football will be any different.

Look at the transformation Bale went through when he joined Real, either he has world class genetics or he was getting assistance
 
I’m guessing they gave him man of the match the other day out of sentiment. Best player in the world for me but he was anonymous for 80mins.
 
So what you're saying is Gerrard and Beale are jagging our players full of the juice? :D

Your post will be on Kerrydale Street later. 10 pager!
So what you're saying is Gerrard and Beale are jagging our players full of the juice? :D

Your post will be on Kerrydale Street later. 10 pager!

sorry, I’m not saying that at all. Just that the 4kg of muscle might be off. It’ll be 4kg overall.
 
He is a bit of a fanny but his dedication to his game is second to none.

Without any shadow of a doubt one of the greatest to have played the game.
How so? lot's of his colleagues say he is a tremendous lad around the dressing room
 
Definitely been on PEDs.

I think he’s far from alone though, I think the EPL for example is full of it.

Right down to the level that you look at the build and athleticism of some English youngsters compared to Scottish and it’s night and day. This shouldn’t be the case with such a small geographical distance.

Any sport where there’s so much cash is tainted with it - Tennis, Boxing, cycling. I don’t think football will be any different.

Italy has been awash with PEDS for years, dame with Spain so yes I would agree the same about Ronaldo.

We know Messi was given HGH as a kid
 
Who was the Bayern player that went from a skelf to looking like a bodybuilder over a pre-season?
 
The guy is incredible. Gets so much stick for being "arrogant", but he puts in the work so for me it isnt arrogance,its pure confidence in himself and rightly so.

He seems to be a good guy and is contstantly acting the way a true football icon should.

Just shows that taking good care of his body and mind that playing to the top level at 40 will be possible.
People say there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance, I think he actually has both and uses them in whatever situation he is in. Been fortunate to catch him live a couple of times and is the best player that I have ever watched.
The whole argument about who is better doesn't concern me as both are truly incredible players. Waste of a discussion really.
The best player ever is super ally anyway.
 
I'm not sure being boring is a very good baromoter to tell if someone is taking PEDs or not?

What I'm getting at, is I would be surprised if someone who doesn't even put alcohol in his body would be happy to stick steroids into his system, given the long term health effects they can cause.

Footballers only train for a couple of hours a day. If you spent a couple of hours in the gym every day on a weight lifting plan and eating the right foods to supplement this then it wouldn't take too long to start adding serious muscle to your body.
 
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