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Sami Khedira has played with Cristiano Ronaldo both at Real Madrid and at Juventus.
While the players enjoyed more team success in Spain, Khedira feels Ronaldo was a better leader while playing for the Bianconeri.
The Portuguese captain joined Real Madrid in 2009 as a dazzling young winger who had just won the 2008 Ballon d'Or. Over the years, he competed against Lionel Messi to establish himself as the best player in the world.
After a successful nine-year stay in the Spanish capital, Ronaldo joined Juventus in 2018. He was a much older player at the time and had experienced the highs and lows of the game on a much grander scale. Ronaldo also had a personal family life outside the pitch, which Khedira feels made him more mature.
Here's what the German midfielder had to say about the two versions of Ronaldo he experienced at Real Madrid and Juventus.
“I met two Cristiano’s — the first at Real Madrid, a bit younger, and maybe a bit more insecure and selfish. Not in a bad way, but he had to find his personality. He scored many, many goals and was fantastic, but he did not have that much influence on the team.”
Talking about the version of Ronaldo he saw in Turin, Khedira said:
“Then my second experience with Cristiano, at Juventus, he comes to the team and he has that same selfishness, that ego to score, but he was more of a leader — more a natural leader. He always pushed us and he knew he needed his teammates support to win trophies. Don’t misunderstand me, he was always a a part of the team at Madrid, but at Juventus he was a bit more mature.”
The German further noted:
“(He was) always focused on the pitch, but a bit more relaxed after having kids. He’s so competitive and the level of performance just got higher and higher. In training, everyone wanted to beat Cristiano or if you were in his team, you wanted to help Cristiano win.”
Ronaldo has come back to Manchester United after spells with Real Madrid and Juventus
Ronaldo rejoined Manchester United last summer in a last-minute move. The 37-year-old forward first played at Old Trafford as a young winger, who he joined in 2003, before leaving for Real Madrid in 2009.
His return, however, has not gone according to plan. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored a decent 15 goals in 30 games across all competitions but has failed to inspire United. The Red Devils are out of both domestic tournaments and are in a hard-fought race for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
