Rafael van der Vaart offered some fascinating and humorous insights into Cristiano Ronaldo during his appearance on The Line-Up podcast with Talksport. Reflecting on their time together at Real Madrid from 2008 to 2010, the former Dutch player shared anecdotes about Ronaldo’s relentless drive and unique personality on and off the pitch.

Cristiano’s goal selfishness

Van der Vaart commented on Ronaldo’s infamous hunger for goals, saying, “Ronaldo was so unbelievably selfish. If we won 6-0 and he didn’t score, he was not happy. When we lost but he scored twice, it’d be alright!” Clarifying that it wasn’t arrogance but an inherent need to score, he added, “It was just that he needs to score.”

The former midfielder compared Ronaldo to another goal-obsessed teammate, Ruud van Nistelrooy. “It was the same with Ruud. 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!’”

Cristiano and the penis joke

On a lighter note, Van der Vaart shared a surprising observation about Ronaldo’s off-pitch habits. “I always say as a joke, Ronaldo is the only player whose willy I never saw!” Explaining his reasoning, he added, “He never left his house! He was the first one on the training [pitch] and the last one to leave.”

Praising Ronaldo’s legendary work ethic, Van der Vaart remarked, “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.”

Ronaldo, now with Al Nassr and still defying age at nearly 40, epitomizes discipline and commitment, having won five Ballon d’Ors, five Champions League titles, and numerous other accolades.