On Florentino and Real Madrid
I never went to college because I started playing football at PSV Eindhoven when I was 17. My master's degree was playing football around the world, learning from club presidents, marketing directors, financial directors...
My experience at Real Madrid was very special because it was the first time a club president had transformed the football world in every way—that was Florentino. He’s the best club president I’ve ever met.
At that time, Real Madrid was in debt of 300 million euros. Florentino sold the Sports City for that price and bought another piece of land near the airport. He invested in signing great players: first Figo, then Zidane, followed by Beckham and me. The four Galácticos superstars. He changed the way people watch football. It was the biggest revolution in the football industry. Football is what we see today because of Florentino. He treated me like a father, and we have a great friendship.
On the Joke of "Playing for Real Madrid for Free"
Although all the Galácticos players had the same salary, Beckham and I had more sponsorship income, which we had to share with the club. So I can say I played for Real Madrid for free, haha.
That was the most special moment as an away player. All Manchester United fans applauded me. They showed great respect. British fans and Brazilian fans are the best in the world.
On the Misunderstanding of "Not Liking Training"
There’s a misunderstanding about that. Just like Novak Djokovic said when talking about tennis, training methods have changed compared to 10 years ago. Now the way of physical training is better.
Back then, they made me run with Roberto Carlos and Cafu. They could run 10 kilometers, 15 kilometers. But I didn’t need that. What I needed was extremely fast 15 to 20-meter sprints. I can say those long-distance runs were the worst moments of my career. Training now is more effective. If you’re a striker, you don’t need to run 15 kilometers; you need specific, smart training. It’s tailored for you, not for other teammates. Players are different.
