‘Cristiano Ronaldo Is Not an Egomaniac’: Owen Hargreaves Defends Portuguese Star
Cristiano Ronald has always been the main man no matter where he plays and is the guy everyone looks up to get them over the line. The Portuguese also enjoys the responsibility on his shoulders and thrives under it. But according to Hargreaves, if the 35-year-old see’s that you are good at something he is happy to pass on the responsibility.
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players of his generation and his obsession to achieve perfection is what sets him apart from the rest. Over the years, the Portuguese star has faced accusations of being a selfish player and caring more about himself than the team. However, Owen Hargreaves, who played alongside the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, has said that the 35-year-old is more of a team player than he is credited for. Cristiano Ronaldo Misses Penalty During Juventus vs AC Milan Coppa Italia 2019–20 Semi-Finals, Reignites Messi vs CR7 Debate.
Cristiano Ronald has always been the main man no matter which club he plays for and is the guy everyone looks up to get them over the line. The Portuguese also enjoys the responsibility on his shoulders and thrives under it. But according to Hargreaves, if the 35-year-old see’s that you are good at something he is happy to pass on the responsibility.
While speaking to beIN Sports, the former Manchester United star said ‘we used to practice (free kicks) all the time and Cristiano knew I could (score them) and I love that about him. We practised before the Champions League final against Chelsea that year I hit nine out of ten into the top corner and Edwin came to me and said, ‘Owen, if we get a free-kick in the Champions League final you've got to take it’
‘I said, ‘I can't take it off Cristiano, that's Cristiano Ronaldo’. Anyway, we get to the dressing room, we're warming up to go out on the pitch before we go out, nobody is around, Cristiano walks over and says, ‘Owen if we get a free-kick today it's yours, I saw you practising’ he added.
‘That's who he was. Everybody thinks he's like it's all about him and an egomaniac. But if you're good at something he's the first one to see that. And that's why I got to take a couple that year because he knew I might score. I admire that about him, I really do.’ Hargreaves continued.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored on the night against Chelsea but missed a penalty in the shoot-out which saw United prevail and win their second Champions League title in the club's history.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 13, 2020 06:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).