Throughout his career, Cristiano Ronaldo has made a name for himself as an incredibly self-confident man, with an unshakable belief in his abilities.
While many might dismiss this as arrogance, it cannot be denied that this trait has played a key role in helping him cement his legacy as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.
Right from his developmental days in the Sporting Lisbon academy, the Madeira native never wavered in his desire to be the best and even though it might not have been evident to those around him, Cristiano Ronaldo was determined to make the most of his career.
It is this drive that has seen outwork and out-train every other person on the training ground and beyond his extraterrestrial abilities, the Portugal international also has a work ethic that is almost unrivaled throughout history.
Expectedly, the Portugal international has gone on to achieve fame and fortune beyond measure, while his individual and collective medal collection is filled with virtually every trophy available in the game.
Having excelled at Real Madrid, he completed a mega money move to Juventus in the summer of 2018 and despite being 33 years at the time of the transfer, the Bianconeri counted on him to deliver the goods on the continent.
His career in Italy got off to a slow start, leading many to question the wisdom in signing the former Manchester United man but Cristiano Ronaldo thrives on silencing his critics and he has since rediscovered his best form and is once again scoring goals for fun.
His standout moment in Turin came in the second leg of Juventus’ round-of-16 Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid in the 2018-19 campaign.
The Italian giants had suffered a 2-0 first leg defeat at the Wanda Metropolitano, with goals from Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez giving Diego Simeone’s side a comfortable advantage.
Considering how defensively solid Los Colchoneros have been in the last decade, many dismissed the tie as a foregone conclusion, as it was almost unfathomable that Juventus would score the three goals necessary to progress but the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo gave fans a slim glimmer of hope.
Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to eliminate Atletico Madrid
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is famed for his ability to stand up when it matters most and throughout his career, he has shown a penchant for delivering the goods when the odds are stacked against his side.
As it happened, Ronaldo was the star of the show, scoring a hat-trick to eliminate Atletico in what was one of the greatest individual performances in Champions League history.
Given his antecedents, not too many were surprised by what he achieved and a former teammate has come out to reveal how much belief he had that Cristiano Ronaldo could turn things around.
Patrice Evra and Ronaldo spent three years together at Manchester United and both men forged a strong relationship both on and off the field.
The retired France international has helped shed the light on the type of personality Ronaldo has, as well as his incredible work ethic and strict diet to maintain his fitness.
Evra took to Instagram and posted a WhatsApp chat screenshot that showed his discussion with his former teammate before the return leg, urging him to complete the unexpected turnaround, while reiterating his belief in him.
Evra released his WhatsApp chat with Ronaldo
Evra began the exchange with the message:
”Bro I’m counting on you for the Champions League return!!!
“I never doubted about you!! And people kill me every time you lose of Juventus.”
Cristiano Ronaldo responded:
“I know. We gonna pass bro. Home we smash them,”
to which Evra replied:
“Exactly!!!!! Viva Ronaldo.”
The Portuguese then sent a picture of himself to the Frenchman
To which Evra concluded:
“My bro [a selection of emojis] feel the confidence.”
Ronaldo and Evra were teammates at Manchester United
Alongside the post on Instagram, Evra wrote:
“Behind the scenes… these are messages between me and Ronaldo five days before the massive comeback!!!
“This just shows you the confidence, the anger, the determination from the best player in the world. We should thank cricri mummy and daddy and of course god for giving to us that nice man and unbelievable player.
”Every big occasion with big pressure my brother always proves he is the man!!!
“So please don’t be jealous I just wanna share and if you don’t agree I can’t do anything for you… enjoy your life but you have to recognise he is simply the best of the best and don’t try to tap the screen for his number.”
Cristiano Ronaldo has settled in well at Juventus and has since gone ton write his name in the record books in the process.
His sophomore season in Turin saw him break the record for most goals in a single campaign for the Bianconeri with 37 goals, while he also became the fastest man to reach 50 Serie A goals, in just 61 appearances.
So far, he has scored all of Juventus’ goals in the knockout rounds of the Champions League since he arrived, although he is yet to guide the club to the Promised Land on the continent.
