Story by Pablo Parra
Álvaro González was with the Portuguese in Saudi Arabia.
“lvaro González was asked during the broadcast of Racing-Elche on Radio MARCA about his experience sharing a locker room with Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Spanish footballer crossed paths with the Portuguese star in Saudi Arabia and was able to learn firsthand what it is like to live alongside one of the greatest stars in football history.
Álvaro’s response was emphatic. “Honestly, and after confirming it with other teammates we’ve had in common, he’s a true phenomenon in the dressing room”, explained the former center-back.
A perception that, according to him, changes radically when Cristiano steps onto the pitch. “As soon as he goes from the dressing room to the field, he completely changes”, he assured. For Álvaro, the Portuguese forward is “a competitive beast” when it comes time to compete.
A super normal person
Far from that image of maximum demands, Álvaro described Cristiano as a very different person in everyday life. “Inside the dressing room he is a super normal, approachable person who helps you”, he said during the broadcast.
In fact, he especially recalled the role the Portuguese player played when he arrived. “He helped us enormously when he arrived because of some things that were happening during that year, and he helped us with everything”, he explained.
A special experience
For Álvaro, getting to know that side of the Portuguese star up close was one of the great experiences he took away from his time in Saudi Arabia. “When you experience it firsthand yourself, it’s much more beautiful”, he admitted.
The former footballer also highlighted having shared a dressing room with players of the stature of Cristiano and Messi. “They are people, both he and Messi, who will go down in the history of sport, which is football”, he stated.
Competition in training
During the conversation there was also room for jokes about training sessions. Asked whether he dared to “get under Cristiano’s skin,” Álvaro did not hide: “Always”.
Of course, any tension was quickly forgotten. “The dirty looks… afterwards we would go to the jacuzzi, have a few laughs and some humor, and everything would pass”, he said with a laugh.
Cristiano demands to compete
Álvaro believes that competitiveness in training was also important for Cristiano himself, especially when arriving in a different kind of football from the European one. “He likes us to be competitive in training”, he explained.
The Portuguese wanted to maintain that high standard despite the change of setting and was clear that he had to “keep going here and keep at it because we have to carry on”, especially with one goal on the horizon: “Him, to reach one thousand goals”.
