The representative of the Russian goalkeeper Gil Vicente Stanislav Kritsyuk, Iago Fernandez, spoke about the time spent at the Sporting Academy together with the Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo is a graduate of Nacional and Sporting CP, for which he began his adult career in 2002. From the Portuguese club, the striker moved to Manchester United in August 2003.

– I trained at Sporting at the same time as Ronaldo, but we never went on the field together, because I’m three years younger. But I was lucky to see him on the field very often, and sometimes we spent time together at the sports academy. In truth, at Sporting we did not expect Ronaldo to become such a star.

At Manchester United he was very technical and in a couple of seasons in England he improved his football IQ significantly. We expected Cristiano to be the next Figo, but not what he eventually became. He has an amazing mindset, from a young age he turned out to be a hardworking person. And this led him to the heights that he reached.

What do you think of his career at this stage? Fans criticized his decision to leave for Saudi Arabia.

– I think this is a story purely about money, he wanted to finish his career in a profitable place. He is 38 years old, he is a legendary player who started thinking about his future after football. Some players decide to end their careers at a big club, and he wanted to stay with the money. He received the highest salary in the history of football at the end of his career, and for him it is a good choice.

– How does his choice affect the Portuguese national team?

– It’s terrible for the Portuguese national team, because it would be more useful for the national team if he played in a stronger championship. But he is still called because he is our living history. Whenever it comes to Portugal, people say: “Oh, this is Cristiano Ronaldo from there!” Yes, he was called up to the national team, but I don’t think he will play all the time.

In January 2023, Ronaldo signed a contract with the Saudi club Al-Nasr on a free transfer. The 38-year-old has made 10 appearances for the club this season, scoring 9 goals and 2 assists.