Former Inter and Milan striker Ronaldo wishes he had the same mentality as Leo Messi or Cristiano and regrets not playing enough with Bobo Vieri at Inter.
The legendary striker was the guest on Twitch show Bobo TV, hosted by ex Italy striker Christian Vieri along with Nicola Ventola, Antonio Cassano and Daniele Adani.
Ronaldo played with Vieri and Ventola at Inter and with Cassano at Real Madrid.
On paper, his striking partnership with Vieri was one of the most exciting ones in Serie A at the end of the 90s, but Ronaldo’s constant injuries prevented Inter fans from watching the strikers play consistently together.
“I wanted to play with Vieri at all costs,” said Ronaldo.
“Due to injuries, we didn’t play many games together, it’s a shame. Vieri joined Inter just to play with me, he could have joined any other top club.”
Ronaldo won two World Cups in his career. The first one was in 1994, when he didn’t even play one minute during the tournament hosted in the USA.
“I learned a lot from Romario and Bebeto,” the ex striker continued. “They were an inspiration for me even if Romario was a motherf***** because he forced young players to clean his boots or bring him coffees.
“A few years later, in 1997 I was an important player already. I had already won the Ballon d’Or and during the training retreat for the Copa America, Romario suddenly told me: ‘Get ready, we go out tonight, don’t worry.’
“He had prepared a ladder to climb over the hotel’s wall and there was a taxi waiting for us on the other side.
“We returned at 5 am and I was exhausted the following day in training. I understood that Romario did it on purpose to tire me out and take my spot in the starting XI.”
Brazil lost the 1998 World Cup Final against France, but Ronaldo won the trophy again in 2002, scoring two goals in the Final against Germany.
The former striker is still highly involved in football being the owner of Valladolid in Spain and Cruzeiro in Brazil.
Talking about today’s stars, such as Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, Il Fenomeno said: “Messi is extraordinary, a powerful and technical player. He wants to score in every game. Neymar is another top player. I hope he can win something with Brazil, but he’s been criticised back home because of his private life.
“Nevertheless, this generation of footballers is better than us off the pitch,” Ronaldo continued.
“They eat well and sleep a lot. For us, it was the opposite, not to mention the number of women we had. Just think about having the same mentality….”
But who is the best striker in the world now?
“Benzema, no doubts about it. Lewandowski after him. Haaland will become the No.1, but the other two are better than him at the moment.
“Mbappé is also really strong. I’ve read he’s signed a €50m-a-year contract with Real Madrid. Surely, we played at the wrong time.”