Former Manchester United winger Nani has revealed what it’s like to be a teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo and how to earn his respect.
Nani spent seven years at Old Trafford, with two seasons playing alongside Ronaldo before the five-time Ballon d’Or winner made a world-record transfer to Real Madrid in 2009.
The former Portugal international went on to make 230 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 41 goals and added 73 assists before spells in Turkey, Spain, Italy and the United States.
He was just 21-years-old when he left Portuguese outfit Sporting Lisbon to join Ronaldo at Manchester United and Nani admitted he quickly befriended the Portuguese legend because he wasn’t afraid to show him his competitive nature.
“When I arrived to the team and played with Cristiano for the first time, we became friends because of the competition," Nani told Rio Ferdinand's Vibe With Five podcast.
“I showed him I was never afraid of his talent. I was open, I accepted it and I was challenging him every time. I think he liked that,”
The winger also revealed what characteristics Ronaldo likes in a team-mate and unsurprisingly, confidence was high on the list of priorities.
“I know him very well. He likes people with confidence, who show him respect, and he likes people close to him who are big and confident because that’s the way he is,” Nani added.
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The 35-year-old is currently playing in Australia with Melbourne Victory but admits he is keeping tabs on Ronaldo’s unsettled status at Old Trafford and says the forward doesn’t have time to lose playing with teams that require a rebuilding process.
He added: “Times change and the reactions and attitude can change as well. But, as we see, he's doing the same things as usual; he doesn't like to lose, he reacts when the team is not doing well.
“But the only difference is that it's different times. He's playing again at Man United but he's been all over the world doing well at different teams with different players.
“He's in a team where the managers are trying to build a strong team and it's not easy, it takes time.
“For Cristiano, he doesn't have time to lose on building teams or waiting for the next season. He wants to continue to be at the top, scoring goals, being the man.
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