Former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti says that professionalism combined with talent is the secret to Cristiano Ronaldo’s ongoing success.
Having worked with Ronaldo over two seasons, the pair enjoyed a successful spell together which saw them lift Real Madrid’s highly sought after tenth Champions League trophy, also known as La Decima.
Speaking on his time working with Ronaldo, Ancelotti told Goal.com that he held a special bond with the Portuguese superstar and described working with him as a “pleasure’.
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"It was a pleasure to be his manager for two years, we had a fantastic relationship, not only as a player but as a person,” he said.
"He's a really, really serious and professional player. He's focused every single day, every single match, every single training (session).”
As the year’s first El Clasico fast approaches, Ronaldo will hope his side can put a dent in Barcelona’s 10 point lead at the top of the table, though it’s looking less and less likely as the dominance of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar continues to strike fear into the hearts of La Liga defenders.
The stats also don’t favour Real Madrid when it comes to El Clasico. Out of 26 matches, Ronaldo’s Madrid have won just six times with 12 losses and six draws.
But despite the dominance of the MSN, CR7 has 41 goals across all competitions this season and is currently winning the race for the Pichichi with 28 goals in the league.
Having now scored 40 goals over six consecutive seasons, Ancelotti said Ronaldo’s professionalism was the real reason he had managed to last so long at the top.
"The professionalism of Cristiano helps him to be at the top. He has spent a long time at the top and the reason is because he's really, really professional and, of course, really talented,” he said.
"But he supports his talent with really, really professional mood."
It’s not the first time Ronaldo has been praised by a former manager for his professionalism. Former Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, often complimented the three-time Ballon d'Or winner for his worth ethic and willingness to improve.
“He was the best professional I ever coached but he had his defects at the start,” Ferguson said.
“Ronaldo was a player who used to dive but I knew that I could fix that and in a year and a half he changed. He learnt discipline and stopped diving even if the press continued to attack him for it.”
While tonight’s El Clasico may be less significant than others given Barcelona’s enormous lead, Ronaldo will want to improve on his record in the fixture which has seen him provide just one assist in 24 matches, though the Portuguese has still managed to score 15 goals.
With both teams able to field full-strength sides tonight, Ronaldo must hope his talent and professionalism, along with the help of his teammates, will be enough to stop the magic that is the MSN.
