Laszlo Boloni has spoken of the superstar's first
steps into the professional world and said he was always confident he
had the quality to make it to the very top
EXCLUSIVE
Laszlo Boloni will be remembered as the coach who launched the professional career of Cristiano Ronaldo at Sporting CP.
Speaking to Goal, the 63-year-old coach has
recounted his part in the tale of the Goal 50 2016 winner. It was 2002
and no-one knew the Funchal native, yet it was the departure point that
would eventually allow the Portuguese to enter the footballing hall of
fame.
“He was already an exceptional worker with an incredible talent, so
we cannot exaggerate. If he’s reached the heights he has today, it’s not
thanks to me,” Boloni said.
“At the right moment, he had someone rigorous enough to push him
quicker than expected into the first team, someone courageous enough to
pull him from the youth system and throw him into the swimming pool
alongside legends like Joao Pinto and Paulo Bento. He had the luck to
have someone to modify his play, to work on his tactical discipline and
to push him away from the centre a little bit to allow him to sparkle on
the wing.
“But the talent he has, it’s something phenomenal that a coach can
never give to a player. At the time, I spoke of Eusebio and Figo. In a
certain way, I knew that Ronaldo would become better than both. With the
absolute respect I have for them, I think he has achieved that with his
club and with his victory for Portugal at Euro 2016. He has given
something back to his country, and that is what he previously lacked.
Now he’s put his nation at the top in Europe.
“With Ronaldo we immediately constructed a six-month program with
extra training. There were weights and coordination work, in particular.
That’s not to say he wasn’t coordinated, but this has allowed him to
work on becoming a little more explosive than he was because he was a
player a little tall and thin for his age.
“He did work in the gym so young because he was going to very quickly
come up against very strong defenders who were going to try and kick
him to Brazil.
“Ronaldo, despite his talent, devoured the work. Away from the field
he displayed a certain maturity. These qualities persuaded me to keep
him in the first-team squad after he was only called up on a temporary
basis. He was someone, despite his young age, was already speaking
through his play, his bravery and his maturity. He was not someone who
spoke a lot, but his relationship with the players and staff reflected
this maturity. He has something others didn’t have.
“Ronaldo was not someone who was really quick. He was very explosive,
but physically he was not yet built as he is today. That’s the reason I
decided to relieve him of the pressure of coming up against 90kg
centre-backs and put him on the wing, where his speed and dribbling
could be exploited more easily.
“At the beginning, I was not really convinced [about his decision to
go to Manchester United aged just 18], but he quickly proved me wrong
and I was very happy to see Alex Ferguson do the same thing as me by
putting him on the wing.
“From time to time, I’m still in touch with him, but it’s a lot harder to speak to Ronaldo today.
“Who’s the best player in the world? It’s difficult to say... we can
look at different statistics, count goals or titles, but we know that
these are not true reflections. I’m strongly pro-Ronaldo, but that’s not
to say I don’t have respect for Messi. He’s a genius, but let’s not
forget that he plays between Neymar and Luis Suarez, without speaking of
Andres Iniesta or the others around him.\
“At Real Madrid, Ronaldo does not have the same support. You can say
what you want, but Gareth Bale will never be Neymar or Suarez, and
neither will Karim Benzema. Luka Modric is the only Madrid midfielder to
get close to Iniesta.
“So taking all that into account, I’d say Messi is better supported at Barca than Ronaldo at Real Madrid
“In Madrid, like with Portugal, everyone expects Ronaldo to make the
difference. At Barcelona, there are many who can do that. It’s true that
often Messi is decisive, but at Real Madrid it’s always – or nearly
always – on the shoulders of Ronaldo.”
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