Former Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira admits Cristiano Ronaldo was more a bit ‘insecure and selfish at Real Madrid, while he became ‘more of a leader’ in Turin.
The 2014 Germany World Cup winner released an interview with ESPN discussing the highlights of his career. He played with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus and Real Madrid and explained how the Portuguese star changed in Turin.
“I met two Cristianos. The first was at Real Madrid. He was a bit young, a bit more insecure and selfish, too,” he said.
“Not selfish in a bad way, just in the way young strikers are. He had to find his personality. And then the second Cristiano, after he moved to Juventus … he was much more of a leader.
“Still driven by ego and selfishness to score, but more about pushing his teammates, helping them be better. Off the pitch, he was much more relaxed and much more mature, but on the pitch, always focused and just as intense.
“We saw it on the first day, taking shots on goal. He was so competitive, whether it was that or playing 4-on-4; he’d want to bet on it, say 100 Euros or a bottle of wine. He’s a competitor and if he loses, he gets angry. So nobody wants to let him down.”
Was a pleasure for me and @LaurensJulien to spend time with @SamiKhedira on Gab + Juls Meets… Here, he talks about the two Cristiano Ronaldos… (full episode: https://t.co/rKFgMN0oa7 ) pic.twitter.com/qQQhJauqnD
— Gabriele Marcotti (@Marcotti) March 3, 2022
The former Germany international, who left Juventus one year ago to join Herta Berlin, also discussed how to get the best out f the ex-Juventus star who is reportedly not on good terms with Manchester United coach Ralf Rangnick.
Khedira revealed that both José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti changed their style of football a bit.
“[Jose] Mourinho did this, and [Carlo] Ancelotti did this too.
“You have to give Ronaldo the ball in the box, you have to transmit the idea that I will fight for [Cristiano], I will run for him, I will do everything for him. Because at the end, he probably will score the winning goal and get you the three points. That’s the compromise that you have with Cristiano.”
Khedira praised Maurizio Sarri who worked at Juventus for one season. “Tactically, he is the best coach I’ve ever seen,” he revealed.
However,”if you sign somebody like Ronaldo, you get one of the best players in history, you get more revenue, more Instagram numbers, more shirt sales, but there’s also a different kind of pressure,” the ex-midfielder added.
“And maybe you risk losing some of your identity, especially at a club like Juventus. Not because he’s a bad signing, but because maybe he doesn’t fit your identity. And Juventus has a strong identity.
“In fact, I remember talking to Mourinho in 2016 and he told me how much he loved Juve because they were one of the last clubs with a really strong DNA. It was about hard work and defending: think of that backline with [Andrea] Barzagli, [Giorgio] Chiellini and [Leo] Bonucci, or the midfield with me and [Claudio] Marchisio and [Blaise] Matuidi, all working hard in a certain way. And then you try to change and maybe you lose something, and some of the signings don’t fit.
“I gave everything every day for the shirt, because that was the club’s DNA. But when you try to change, sometimes you lose that focus. Sometimes you can’t copy what others do. Pep Guardiola is fantastic, but he’s Pep Guardiola. You can’t copy that.”
Forza Sami!!!