Former Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart recently shared humorous and insightful anecdotes about his former teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, during an interview with talkSPORT. The Dutchman’s recollections highlight Ronaldo’s exceptional dedication and single-minded focus on scoring.

Van der Vaart praised Ronaldo’s remarkable discipline, describing him as a “machine” ahead of his time: “First of all, his body — wow! A machine. He was a little bit ahead of his time. Players now are the same. But his training in the gym, food, sleep… for him, that was more important than training extra hard.”

He further joked about Ronaldo’s dedication: “He never left his house! I always say as a joke, Ronaldo is the only player I never saw his willy! He was the first on the training pitch and the last to leave.”

However, Van der Vaart also revealed a more unexpected side to Ronaldo’s personality, highlighting his intense focus on scoring goals: “Ronaldo was so unbelievably selfish. If we won 6-0 and he didn’t score, he wasn’t happy. When we lost but he scored twice, it was alright!” Van der Vaart emphasized that this self-obsession was a key driver of Ronaldo’s success.

The “I need my goals” mentality

Van der Vaart recounted numerous conversations with Ronaldo: “I had so many chats with him, and it was so interesting because he was always like, ‘I need my goals! I need my goals!‘” This unwavering determination, while potentially perceived as selfish, undoubtedly propelled Ronaldo to achieve incredible goal-scoring feats.

At 39 years old, Ronaldo continues to demonstrate his prolific goal-scoring ability with Al Nassr, proving his enduring status as a soccer machine.

Van der Vaart’s anecdotes provide a unique and multifaceted perspective on Cristiano Ronaldo’s time at Real Madrid. His exceptional dedication, bordering on obsession, is viewed as a key ingredient in his remarkable career, even if this approach sometimes overshadowed other team aspects. His continued success highlights the effectiveness of his single-minded focus.