Cristiano Ronaldo sees common career praise as an insult, Rio Ferdinand reveals

Speaking on The Late Run Show, Ferdinand, his former Manchester United teammate, explained that Ronaldo does not appreciate being framed as someone who simply outworked others.

“I’ve spoken to Cristiano about this and said that some people say that you’ve had to work harder at it and people appreciate and respect that more. He takes that as an insult by the way,” the former defender began by saying.

“He’s like, ‘Bro, you can’t be me without the ability.’ You can’t do this. In one way, what he’s saying, he’s right. He’s completely right.

“And he’s saying, ‘Don’t try and make me like a worker because I ain’t that. Because I do work hard. There’s no stone left unturned. I do everything to be the best. But you cannot do what I do with a little bit of ability. You’ve got to have spades of it.’”

In fact, Ronaldo’s stance is entirely understandable. People have focused so much on his disciplined lifestyle that they have forgotten how gifted he is, someone who has played as both a winger and a striker, is two-footed, was once a major threat from freekicks and remains exceptional in aerial duels.

Cristiano Ronaldo dealing with rare injury setback

Ronaldo’s mentality is now being tested in a different way, as he approaches the end of his career. The 41-year-old forward is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, a rare issue in his career.

He has not played for Al-Nassr since featuring against Al-Fayha on 28 February, approaching a full month out of action. Portugal also left him out of their latest squad for the March international window.

Despite that, head coach Roberto Martinez has suggested Ronaldo could return within one or two weeks. It offers hope that the setback will be short-lived.