Álvaro González was asked during the broadcast of Racing-Elche on Radio MARCA about his experience sharing a dressing room with Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Spanish footballer crossed paths with the Portuguese star in Saudi Arabia, where he saw firsthand what it is like to live alongside one of the greatest players in football history.
Álvaro’s response was emphatic. “Honestly, and after confirming it with other teammates we’ve had in common, he’s a true phenomenon in the dressing room”, explained the former centre-back.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a different player on the pitch
According to Álvaro, Cristiano’s personality changes radically when he leaves the dressing room for the field. “As soon as he goes from the dressing room to the field, he completely changes”, he said. The former defender described Ronaldo as “a competitive beast” when it comes to competing.
A super normal person
Despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s intense demands on the pitch, Álvaro described him as very different in everyday life. “Inside the dressing room he is a super normal, approachable person who helps you”, he said during the broadcast.
Álvaro also recalled the important role Ronaldo played when he first arrived. “He helped us enormously when he arrived because of some things that were happening during that year, and he helped us with everything”, he explained.
Inside the locker room Cristiano is a super normal, down-to-earth person who helps you
Álvaro González
A special experience in Saudi Arabia
For Álvaro, discovering this side of the Portuguese star up close was one of the most memorable experiences of his time in Saudi Arabia. “When you experience it firsthand yourself, it’s much more beautiful”, he admitted.
The former footballer also highlighted the privilege of sharing a dressing room with players of the stature of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. “They are people, both he and Messi, who will go down in the history of sport, which is football”, he stated.
Competition during training
The conversation also included jokes about training sessions. Asked whether he dared to “get under Cristiano’s skin,” Álvaro did not hesitate: “Always”.
Any tension was quickly forgotten, however. “The dirty looks… afterwards we would go to the jacuzzi, have a few laughs and some humor, and everything would pass”, he said with a laugh.
Cristiano Ronaldo demands competitiveness
Álvaro believes Cristiano’s competitiveness during training was also important to the Portuguese forward after moving from European football to a different footballing environment. “He likes us to be competitive in training”, he explained.
Ronaldo wanted to maintain that high standard despite the change of setting. He made it clear that he had to “keep going here and keep at it because we have to carry on”, with one major objective in sight: “Him, to reach one thousand goals”.
