Recently, Ben Foster talked about his views on Cristiano Ronaldo during a guest appearance on Camel Live’s interview program.
Foster said: “Ronaldo always maintains extreme focus, from start to finish. He’s always the one who ‘arrives first at training and leaves last’—I know it sounds clichéd, and everyone says the same thing, ‘Wow, he’s so professional.’ But Ronaldo really lives up to it; that’s just who he is.”
“Ronaldo always gets to the training ground early. Sometimes I think I’ve arrived pretty early, but he’s already there—by the time I get there, he’s already done his massage and recovery, finished his activation drills in the gym, and completed all his injury prevention and rehabilitation exercises.”
When asked by the talkSPORT host whether Ronaldo used to go out with his Manchester United teammates in the past, Foster replied: “No, he had absolutely no interest in that, really. He doesn’t drink, and he has no desire to take part in that kind of activity at all. Ronaldo knows exactly how it works—he knows there will always be people trying to expose him, take secret photos of him, or put him in an awkward position, so that kind of thing doesn’t appeal to him at all.”
When asked if Sir Alex Ferguson gave Ronaldo special treatment because of their close relationship, Foster said: “In front of the media, Sir Alex Ferguson always spoke highly of Ronaldo, but that’s actually easy to understand—because Ronaldo is excellent enough on his own. Obviously, Ronaldo was definitely Sir Alex’s ‘star pupil’; there’s no doubt about that.”
“However, this wasn’t some kind of ‘special treatment,’ because Ronaldo’s ability is there for all to see—he was far better than everyone else on the team. There was no need to give him special treatment; he was already head and shoulders above the rest.”
“I remember Riyad Mahrez was once asked, ‘Will you play in the next World Cup in four years?’ and he laughed and answered: ‘Come on, I’m not Ronaldo.’ But he was telling the truth—no one can do what Ronaldo does, no one can stay at such a high level for so long like he has.”
“Ronaldo is a ‘beast,’ but it’s really great to see a player like him stay active on the pitch for so long. This is actually a reminder to all the young players watching or listening to this interview: if you really give it your all, really dedicate yourself, and really desire a goal more than anything, then you too can have a long and successful career in football.”
