Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players in world football history. In his career so far, the 38-year-old superstar has won a total of 35 titles, including 5 C1 Cups and one Euro crown in the national team.
Coach Laszlo Boloni, the coach who discovered the talent of the Portuguese superstar. He quickly brought CR7 to the first team at the age of 17, letting him play when Sporting Lisbon faced Inter Milan in the preliminary round of the C1 Cup in 2002.
Ronaldo played a total of 58 minutes for that confrontation. This performance made a strong impression on Boloni. He admitted that Ronaldo is much better than his teammates of the same age. The Romanian strategist admitted that he believed that CR7 could surpass two Portuguese legends, Luis Figo and Eusebio, in the future.
Coach Boloni was the one who promoted Ronaldo to the first team. Photo: IG
“I went to the youth team and asked Ronaldo to play in the first team because he was in good shape, very fast and had great technique,” Mr. Boloni shared with Spanish media.
“I didn’t have to think twice about this decision. When I saw Ronaldo play, I decided I couldn’t leave him in the youth team anymore. He plays and handles football much more maturely than his real age.
In the dressing room, Ronaldo is a happy person, but when he steps on the field, it’s impossible to joke with him. The maturity of Ronaldo’s playing style is far different from that of a boy who is only 16 or 17 years old.
At that time, I didn’t know if he could become one of the greatest players. But I understand that, if he can avoid injuries, Ronaldo will be very good. During an interview 20 years ago, I said that he would surpass Figo and even the legendary Eusebio.”
This year he will turn 71 years old, Mr. Boloni is still coaching. He is currently in the hot seat of Metz, a team playing in Ligue 1. Although he does not possess great achievements as a coach, this strategist is remembered for his support for CR7. Initially, he ranked Ronaldo as a striker but later changed to winger. Thanks to that, Ronaldo reached his full potential and caught the eye of MU in 2003.
“He is still young and only weighs about 60kg. Therefore, Ronaldo has difficulty keeping the ball against centre-backs weighing about 100kg. If he plays on the wing, he will be more effective thanks to his speed and ability to dribble. I I’m happy that I decided to let Ronaldo move to the wing even though at first he had some difficulties,” Mr. Boloni added.
Ronaldo took a photo with coach Boloni when he won his first Golden Ball in 2008. Photo: IG
According to this teacher, Ronaldo also has to slightly adjust his playing style to be more successful. “I tried to tell him that dribbling past 2 people is enough, 5 people is too much. I explained to him to what extent dribbling is effective. With his intelligence, Ronaldo is on the right track,” he added.
Asked about who is better than Ronaldo or Messi, Mr. Boloni quickly named CR7. “I can’t help but be biased because Ronaldo has always been my favorite student. He accompanied me when we both worked at Sporting.”
After more than 2 decades of playing professional football, Ronaldo has perfected both physically and skillfully. At the age of 38, the Portuguese superstar can still play football at the highest level.
Last year, CR7 was the top scorer with 54 goals in all competitions. Ronaldo is expected to shine in Euro 2024, which could be the last Euro of his career.
