Updated printed edition published in the UK in 2013 by Icon Books Ltd, Omnibus Business Centre, 39–41 North Road, London N7 9DP email: [email protected] www.iconbooks.net Original printed edition published in the UK in 2012 by Corinthian Books, an imprint of Icon Books Ltd This updated electronic edition published in 2013 by Icon Books Ltd ISBN: 978-190685-065-4 (ePub format) Text copyright © 2012, 2013 Luca Caioli Translation copyright © 2012, 2013 Sheli Rodney The author has asserted his moral rights. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Typesetting by Marie Doherty Contents Title page Copyright 1. Me 2. Football 3. ‘Abelhinha’ 4. Far from the island 5. Seventeen years, eight months, two days 6. Festival 7. Number 7 8. Greek tragedy 9. Martunis: a special boy 10. The saddest day 11. A trap 12. ‘Give Ron one in the eye’ 13. Champagne 14. A great season 15. Ballon d’Or 16. Rome 17. £80 million 18. Hysteria at the Bernabéu 19. Sir Alex and Cristiano 20. Zero titles 21. Spain v Portugal 22. Fatherhood 23. Autumn/Winter 2010–11 underwear campaign 24. 53 goals 25. Cristiano and Leo 26. Cristiano and Mou 27. Passions and obsessions 28. Out of this world 29. A great leader Facts and figures Bibliography Acknowledgements Plate section Chapter 1 Me ‘I love being Cristiano Ronaldo.’ ‘I love what I do, I love my life, I’m happy.’ ‘I consider myself a winner. I win more often than I lose. I always try to stay focused. I know it’s not easy, but nothing in life is easy. If it was, we wouldn’t have been born crying.’ ‘I’m a competitive person and that’s never going to change. Obviously I’m growing up and becoming more mature. But the way I think doesn’t change.’ ‘I have faith in my abilities. I always have done.’ ‘I am who I am. The way I act, what others see – that’s the real me.’ ‘I have never altered my behaviour for anyone. If they like me, great. If not … they can stay away. They don’t have to come to my games.’ ‘Those who know me know who I really am, my personality, my character.’ ‘I’m very close to my family. I was close to my dad and I’m still close to my mum and siblings. My family is my rock. They’ve been incredibly supportive; they’re always there for me when I need them. They have helped me so much, and I try to be there for them as they have for me.’ ‘The people who know me well love me. The few people who live with me, the people I train with every day, those who work with me … they think highly of me because they know what I’m like. Of course, other people have a very different opinion because they don’t know me. I can understand that.’ ‘I always speak my mind. I tell it like it is. That might be what others don’t like about me.’ ‘I don’t pay any attention to what people say about me. I don’t read the newspapers or magazines. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion.’ ‘There have been lots of lies spread about me … that’s the price of fame.’ ‘I think people are jealous of me because I’m rich, good looking and a great footballer. There’s no other explanation.’ ‘I’m always ready to learn, to hear different opinions.’ ‘I’m someone who is very easy to live with. And I feel very lucky because if I ever need to talk about anything, I have the best friends in the world.’ ‘I’m a normal guy and I have feelings just like anybody else.’ ‘I’m the kind of person who loves a challenge – I always have. My entire life is geared towards finding new challenges.’ ‘I’m generally quite a positive and well-balanced person.’ ‘To me, getting on with people is more important than money.’ ‘Having a good quality of life is more important than money.’ ‘I’ve had a great education. My parents taught me to be myself, not to change for anyone. If people like me, fine. If not, it doesn’t bother me.’ ‘I like seeing the people around me happy, smiling, content.’ ‘You don’t win anything in this life without overcoming the kinds of obstacles that I’ve encountered.’ ‘I used to cry every day when I was a little boy growing up in Lisbon. I still cry – I cry a lot of tears, both happy and sad. It’s good to cry. Crying is just part of life.’ ‘I have no time for people who lie to me – to me lying is one of the worst traits. It makes me really angry.’ ‘Talking incessantly is not my style. Talking too much isn’t good for your image.’ ‘I don’t like talking about my private life. I don’t like drawing attention to it but I don’t hide anything either. Let people gossip if they want to. If people want to sell their story, that’s up to them. I’m not interested.’ ‘I’m a smart kid – but no one’s perfect and that includes me.’ ‘There are days when it’s not easy being Cristiano – days when I’d love to do something normal and I can’t. But I know how to handle it and to be honest I’m not uncomfortable with this kind of life.’ Chapter 2 Football ‘If you love football, then there’s no doubt you’ll love watching Cristiano Ronaldo.’ ‘I get to do the thing I love most in life – play football.’ ‘I’ve already won everything there is to win, but I’ll never stop trying to win until the day I retire. That’s just who I am. I believe in a bad run of form, but not in letting it get you down. Mental focus is paramount when it comes to achieving your goals. And the key is to keep setting those goals.’ ‘My aim, my ambition, is to be the best. Ultimately, if I come within reach of being the best, then great – although what I’d really love is to go down as one of the best players in history. I’m grateful to God that I’ve won the trophy for best player in the world, but I’d like to win it again, this year or next. I’m definitely going to get that Ballon d’Or again.’ ‘I believe I’m a well-rounded footballer, although there are always countless ways to improve. I’m not referring to specific elements of my game, I just mean generally. You have to grow as a complete player. You can’t just focus on shooting or dribbling.’ ‘Dribbling and dodging is the way I play. I’ve played like that since I was little. I love dodging and feinting, getting past the opponent. I know that people get annoyed when I dodge past them, or when I bicycle kick or backheel the ball. But I’m not trying to make fun of my opponents, that’s just my style. I didn’t change it when I was in England and I’m not going to change it whether I’m in Spain or Brazil.’ ‘My goal-scoring technique is a secret I’ll never divulge. I just think about which side I’m going to go for, I look at the goal, the goalie and the defenders, and I shoot. When I take the shot I say to myself “Make it a good one Cristiano”.’ ‘I always try to score goals, play well and help the team. But I never think I have to score in every game. If you think that way you end up not scoring at all. Where there’s talent, ability and technical quality, the goals come naturally. So I don’t get too worried if I don’t score. If I play well, if the team plays well, the goals will come.’ ‘It doesn’t matter where we play or who we play, in every match I go out onto the field to give it my all, play the way I know how, and do everything possible to ensure we win.’ ‘When I get home after losing a game, I don’t talk to my mum or any of my family. They know what I’m like and they know how I react. I’ve been known to cry after certain losses.’ ‘What’s my biggest weakness? I don’t know … I like to be great on every level, not just physically but mentally too. There’s no single aspect that I work on more than others. I just want to keep getting stronger.’ ‘Footballers are people too and naturally the things that happen in our lives affect us as much as the next person. But the higher level you are professionally, the stronger you have to be to ensure it doesn’t affect your performance. That’s what we’re paid to do.’ ‘During the season, my life is quite calm and focused – it’s all about football. Sometimes it’s about enjoying life and on other occasions it’s about working hard. During the holidays I might like to let off steam with my friends, but when I’m working, nobody can fault my attitude. I try to set an example as a professional, and that shines through when I play. If you go out partying every weekend, there’s no way you can give it your all on the pitch.’ ‘I like to look after my body, it’s an important part of my life and my profession. I don’t have any particular routine, I just train. I eat whatever I want but in moderation. I have good genes so I don’t put on weight, but I do have to work hard to maintain my fitness.’ ‘When I’m on the pitch or training I’m happy because I love playing football. It’s my passion, it’s what I enjoy.’ ‘I consider my team-mates to be friends because I’m with them every day. The team is my second family. Apart from the people I live with, they’re the people I spend the most time with.’ ‘I love it when there’s a lively atmosphere in the changing room, when everyone’s enjoying themselves and feeling positive.’ ‘When I step onto the pitch I’m fearless. The opposition defenders don’t bother me; they’re just out there to do their job. I don’t believe any player intends to cause injuries. Ninety-nine per cent of players are honest and just want to do the best they can for their team. Of course, some of them will try to stop me by fouling me – if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be able to stop me. But I try not to worry about it too much.’