World Soccer Presents - Rise of Ronaldo (2022)

60 RISEOFRONALDO

Afterwinningsomany

individualtrophies,

whatdoesthis

award meantoyou?

Themostimportantjobfora forward

istoscore goals- andtbethe best

goalscorerfourtimesisn honour for

meandsomethingspecl.I consider it

veryimportant.AndIlovitbecause

it’ssomethingyouworkfr andat

theendyou reaptherewrds.Let’s

hopeI cankeepupthisstreak.

Didyoueverimagine,whenyou

started out,thatyouwouldbea

four-timeGoldenShoewinner?

No,of coursenot.I thought aybe

I couldwinoneortwo,butn u.

Butsometimesthereisa seqence

ofeventsthatpush youtowars an

objective.Inthislastone,forxample,

I begantoscorealotinthefirsfew

gamesandthought:“OK, I’mplaing

verywellandI’mgoingtocontinuto

doso.”I didn’tstartsayingI would n

iteither, buteverythingendsuptakin

over.You seepeople talkaboutthe

trophyand youmotivate yourself.

HastheCristianoRonaldoatthe

startofhiscareerchangeda lot

fromtheone that is herenow?

He’sdifferent.I’m more of a boxplayer,

notsomucha winger. Becausegoals

aremadeinsidetheboxand closeto

thegoal,my position haschangeda

bit.Theinstinctforgoal,aswell,that’s

somethingyoulearnwithexperience.

It’ssomething thathascome to me

morenaturallyand that makesme

happy.You cn seethe evoution that

I’vehad throghout my career -since

Ieganunt -

for me.I’veeen evoving.

What’sleft foryouto do at Real

Madrid?Doyouseeyourself

retiringatReal?

I want to keewinning.I stillfeelgood,

I feeyoung.I am 30 yearsod and

I want to kep playingfor five or six

more. Andithose yearsI want to do

thins wel ad maintain thelevel I’ve

had theastewseasons.Inow tatts

gradually mrediicult,but in my head

it’spossibe.I want to winand I’matthe

heword.I have acontract

until I’m 33 nd, like I’ve said many

times,mydramistofinishere at

RealMadidecauseI feegoodand

usefuhere.wanttokeepgoing.

Whatrivalsdoyou seeforthe

nextEuropeanGoldenShoe?Do

youthinkLionelMessihaslost

groundbecauseofhisinjury?

There aremnygreat forwards

throughout ay European leagues;

inthe Engisleague, Germa...Rooney,

Aguero, Lewndowski,Neymar. Benzema

isalsoingod form.LuisSuarezagain.

There aremnygreat players– butI

wanttokeewinning it,though. We’l

see what hapensthroughoutthisyear.

Doesitget toughertomaintainthis

level of sacrifice,workand fitness?

Att ntI don’tfeela dierence

fromwheI was 25 years old. Many

peoplesay that afte 30 you startgoing

down, butI don’thavethatmentaity

,

workout, ractise anddothingsright,

you don’teethose sudden efects.

It’sike ag, youdon’t getolder from

one daytanother,it’ssomething that

comes sloly. Andina footballer’s life it’s

a bitliketat. If youtakecareofyourself,

and do thigsright,you cankeepgoing

until 40.Iave themotivationand the

desiretokepgoing

Whatdoes a professional do to

takecareof themselvesevenafter

winningeverythingatclublevel?

Everythingismotivationand is just the

way Iam. song as I’mmotivated to

play, Iwilake care of myself andtain

tothe mainorder to give thebestI

have. TheassionI have guarantees

thatI’llhae agoodfuture. AndI hope

tomaitaimyleveyearafter year

because tatitthe most diicult pat,

maintaininyourselfevery year.

Aretherethingsyoucan

still improveon?

Ineverything. Idon’t look at just one

thingbut in genera. Itry to be bette

every time...play, train, recover- w

isveryimortant and Ialwa a

togobeyondineverythig

Andwhatfacetsof thegame

inparticular?

Headers,posi i fr ..

s ud v h w

my career

here in Madrid”

FACETOFACE

“

The 30-year-oldPortugal ndR

receive his fourth ES Gol

finishingasEurope’st p lea

in2014-15.Hechattd to

intheNovemb r 2 01