Former Argentina forward Carlos Tevez, who has played with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, has explained how much harder the Portuguese used to work compared to his famous rival.
Tevez spent two seasons playing alongside Ronaldo at Manchester United and was also named on the same teamsheet as Messi on many occasions for the Albiceleste.
When asked about the difference between the pair in a recent interview, Tevez told stories of the training Ronaldo put in off the field, and also explained how his countryman was always a natural when it came to football.
“I’ve never seen Messi in the gym, just as I’ve never seen him do technical exercise,” he said, according to Calciomercato.
“He does everything in a natural way, as it all comes spontaneously with the ball.
“Ronaldo, on the other hand, instead, was always in the gym. If we trained at nine in the morning, he would train in the gym for roughly an hour before the training even started. The gym became an obsession for him.
“When the training was set for nine in the morning, I arrived at eight and he was already there. Even if I arrived at 7:30, he was already there.
“I began to ask myself, ‘How can I get rid of this guy?’ So one day I arrived at six (in the morning) but he was already there! Sleepy, but he was there.”
Ronaldo will play this Sunday for Juventus against Sassuolo.
Messi will also play this Sunday for Barcelona against Real Sociedad.
