Cristiano Ronaldo marked world football from his footprint, with five golden balls, a prolific career and almost 950 goals scored. But before becoming this monument, the Portuguese already had a certainty pegged to the body. In a recent interview, his former teammate Edwin Van der Sar told a scene from Manchester United changing rooms which speaks volumes about the state of mind of the future champion.
“I will be the best in the world”
The Dutch goalkeeper said Ronaldo, barely landed in England, repeatedly repeated: “Edwin, I'm going to be the best player in the world. »» A sentence which, at the time, could seem presumptuous. But Van der Sar explains that he quickly understood that he did not exaggerate. The young Portuguese spent hours in the room, before and after training, showing hunger for work “Never seen” According to him. Of the raw ambition that would become prophetic.
The rest of the story is known: a first golden ball conquered in 2008 with Manchester United, then the dazzling ascent at Real Madrid, where he became the top scorer in the history of the club with more than 450 achievements. At Juventus, he still crossed the symbolic bar of 100 goals before continuing his career in Al-Nassr, while remaining efficient with the Portuguese selection.
Ronaldo, longevity as a signature
Even today, at 40, Ronaldo continues to stack the goals in Saudi Arabia. Described as “Unusable” By Van der Sar, he embodies the obsession with work and discipline, where others are content with natural talent. His journey validates this famous confession: it was not vanity, but a conviction translated into daily efforts.
The revelation of Van der Sar sheds light on a new day the mentality of Ronaldo: that of a player who was built by proclaiming his objective before achieving it. Many agree that announcing such a destiny is risky, but CR7 has proven that with determination and rigor, arrogance could turn into an accomplished prophecy. A story that still feeds its legend a little more.
