Cristiano Ronaldo has spent more than two decades being one of the most intensely scrutinised figures in football, but former teammate Álvaro González says the personality behind the superstar image is very different once the Portuguese forward walks into the dressing room.
‘A true phenomenon’ in the dressing room
González, who shared a dressing room with Ronaldo at Al-Nassr during the 2022-23 Saudi Pro League season, was asked about his experience alongside the five-time Ballon d’Or winner during the broadcast of Racing-Elche on Radio MARCA. González joined the Saudi club in August 2022, months before Ronaldo’s arrival in January 2023, and his response was emphatic: behind closed doors, Ronaldo is approachable, helpful and, despite his extraordinary competitive reputation, “a super normal” person.González said his view is not based solely on his own experience, explaining that he has also spoken to other teammates who have shared a dressing room with Ronaldo.“Honestly, and after confirming it with other teammates we’ve had in common, he’s a true phenomenon in the dressing room”, González said.That relaxed personality, according to the former centre-back, is quite different from what happens once Ronaldo steps onto the pitch.“As soon as he goes from the dressing room to the field, he completely changes”, he explained, describing Ronaldo as “a competitive beast” when it comes to playing and training.González said Ronaldo was particularly helpful when he first arrived and that the Portugal captain played an important role in helping teammates through some of the difficulties they were experiencing that year.“Inside the dressing room he is a super normal, approachable person who helps you”, González said.“He helped us enormously when he arrived because of some things that were happening during that year, and he helped us with everything”, he added.For González, seeing that side of Ronaldo firsthand made the experience of sharing a dressing room with him even more memorable.“When you experience it firsthand yourself, it’s much more beautiful”, he said.The former defender also reflected on the privilege of sharing a dressing room with Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, two players he believes will remain part of football history long after their careers are over.“They are people, both he and Messi, who will go down in the history of sport, which is football”, González said.
Even the training-ground battles ended with a laugh
There was also room for some lighter memories from training, particularly when González was asked whether he ever tried to get under Ronaldo’s skin.“Always”, he replied.Any tension generated during those competitive sessions apparently did not last very long.“The dirty looks… afterwards we would go to the jacuzzi, have a few laughs and some humor, and everything would pass”, González said with a laugh.That competitiveness, however, was something Ronaldo wanted from those around him. González explained that the Portuguese star liked teammates to maintain a high level during training, even after moving into a different footballing environment in Saudi Arabia.“He likes us to be competitive in training”, González said.Ronaldo’s own mentality, González suggested, was never really about slowing down. Instead, he wanted to maintain the same relentless standards and “keep going here and keep at it because we have to carry on”.And there is still one enormous target driving him: reaching 1,000 career goals.
Ronaldo is closing in on 1,000
Ronaldo’s pursuit of four figures has become one of the defining storylines of the later stage of his career, and he has continued to move closer even at 41.After scoring in Al-Nassr’s 2-1 comeback victory over Al-Taawoun on August 28, Ronaldo’s official senior career tally reached 978 goals, leaving him 22 short of 1,000.That latest goal was also significant for Al-Nassr itself: it made Ronaldo the club’s all-time leading scorer in the Saudi Pro League era, with 104 league goals in 110 appearances.The 1,000-goal mark would be an unprecedented milestone in official senior football, and Ronaldo has made clear that it remains a major objective as he continues what could be the final stage of his playing career. Earlier this month, Ronaldo said the upcoming season could be his last, although he remains focused on continuing to play and pursuing the milestone.For González, though, the remarkable numbers and records are only one part of Ronaldo’s story. Having seen him away from the cameras, he remembers a teammate who could be intensely competitive once training began, but who could just as easily laugh, help those around him and switch off with his teammates afterwards.