There are many things you don’t know’- Cristiano Ronaldo’s secrets revealed by Portugal stars Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes

At 39 years of age, five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo has spent more than two decades in the public eye. He boasts a celebrity standing that transcends his chosen profession, with CR7 becoming a global superstar on and off the field.

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite operating under the brightest of spotlights, few have been given a glimpse of what Ronaldo is like away from the cameras and behind the scenes. International team-mates are given a glimpse into that private life, with the Portuguese GOAT not as serious as his public persona might suggest.
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  WHAT FERNANDES & SILVA SAID

  Ex-Manchester United colleague Fernandes has told Ronaldo’s YouTube channel when asked what his illustrious countryman is like: “I think there are many things you don’t know – you have to be always around him to know what his life is like, but… he’s good at dancing, he has good dance steps.

  City star Silva added on Ronaldo’s “secrets”: “I think people know that he’s very disciplined, that he likes to work at the right times and that everything has to be there, but, perhaps… that he doesn’t need to eat very often. I think he only eats lunch and dinner, he doesn’t eat small meals, I think that’s a good curiosity about him.”

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Both men have also opened up on their first experiences of Ronaldo, with fellow ex-Sporting star Fernandes saying: “It’s funny, but also emotional. When I first arrived here I was surrounded by great players that I admired and I was quite shy. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I would shake hands with my head down and Cristiano wasn’t there when I arrived, because I arrived very early and when he arrived he started talking to me, saying my name… and he said to me ‘I’ve seen your games, you’ve been scoring goals, playing very well for Sporting’ and I remember going back to the room to talk to my friends and family… ‘He’s been watching my games, how does he know my name?’, because it was the first time I was arriving at the national team and you admire these players and you always think that they don’t know who you are.”

  Silva added: “Of course I have a lot of memories with him, we played together 10 years ago, because that was when I started with the national team. I think one of the first times I arrived at the training camp, I didn’t know where to sit and some of the older players said ‘you can sit there, there’s a free space’, but that was Cristiano’s place on the bus and when he arrived he started laughing and said ‘you can sit here with me’, but I was in his place, I was just a kid of 20. The other guys tricked me and put me in Cristiano’s place, so that was actually funny.”
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  WHAT NEXT?

  Ronaldo remains part of the Portugal set-up in 2024, with 216 caps and 133 international goals to his name. There have been suggestions that his record-shattering career – which sees him still going strong for Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr – could be extended through to the 2026 World Cup.