Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest paid futbol player in history.  Discover the secrets to his success in this two-part HOMBRE exclusive interview.

Part 1 

Winning means the world to flamboyant Real Madrid-winger Cristiano Ronaldo. Next to that the World Player of the Year mainly wants to entertain us.  

H: Cristiano, you have had an amazing 12 months. You seem to have won every medal possible – and of course the Fifa World Player of the Year award. How do you feel?
CR: Beautiful days. They are trophies I dreamed of winning when I was a child. There were other great names as well – Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres, Xavi. All of these players could have won it, but it went to me. That meant a lot to me. 

H: What has made you become the player you are today? 
CR: Self-belief and also dedication. I never stop practicing. People ask me how I score so many free kicks and I always give them the same answer – by practicing.’ 

H: But what is your secret with those free kicks? If it was as easy as just practicing, every player would be doing it! 
CR: Thanks to a lot of hard work and my desire for perfection, I have a technique of my own for taking free kicks, but I will not reveal it. That would be giving an advantage to my opponents. All I can state is that the success or the failure at the moment of taking the free kick is directly related to the position of the body and to the way you run towards the ball and the way you position your feet. I look at the ball, I look at the net and I say to myself: ‘Take the kick, Ronaldo.’ And then I shoot. Sometimes it ends well, sometimes not so well. It is technique. Different people have different techniques and I have my technique. But, again, I practice all the time. 

H: What about your other techniques? You are an incredible dribbler. How did you develop that? 
CR: It happened by instinct. The technique I have today is the technique I was born with. When I was in Madeira they called me Abelinha [Little Bee]. But obviously it has been perfected over the years. I practice dribbles non-stop during training and I later I try to apply them to the game. But really dribbles just happen by instinct.’I started to play in the street when I was a kid in Madeira. The kids there still love to play futbol and would all love to be professional players one day. What they have to do is believe in themselves. If someone catches the opportunities, they will have a great life. 

H: You seem to have a great life, but what is life really like for Cristiano Ronaldo, knowing that every move you make – off the field as well as on it – will end up in the newspapers and celebrity magazines? 
CR: I’m used to it now because it has been happening for a few years. In the beginning, it was very difficult because I wasn’t used to it. Now that I know how to deal with it, it’s nice that people want to speak to me and see what I do. 

H: What are you like as a person? Some people describe you as arrogant. 
CR: I’m normal. I’m the same Cristiano that my family have always known. My family will tell you that I haven’t changed.’ 

H: How do you relax away from futbol? 
CR: I like to watch movies and I like to laugh with friends. I like to do a lot of swimming in my swimming pool. That is something I really enjoy, but that is not really relaxing. I don’t really like to relax. I have to continue winning awards and winning trophies because I’m still young. I have a big path ahead of me and I want to stay in this important position, so I have to continue to play like I’m playing and continue living like I’m living. 

H: But it must be hard to avoid being complacent – or at least satisfied – when you have won everything and you have been named World Player of the Year. 
CR: Being the World Player of the Year is a great feeling. But it doesn’t change anything in my personality, my character, my ambition. I’m still the same. I want to win games. This is my ambition. If you relax it’s not good. Maybe sometimes you relax automatically, but I don’t want that. In my head, I know and I am always thinking ‘Cristiano, you have won nothing’ and I want to carry on like that.’ 

H: How would you describe your style when you are on the field? 
CR: I like to try to make people happy with the way I play. But for me, the first thing is to help the team to win. But when people come to the stadium to watch you, they want to enjoy themselves. I try to make that happen for them. But the principle is to win. When you win, everything is good. That’s the most important thing. But I like to try to entertain the fans as well. 

H: Players like you and Lionel Messi are major commodities. You are entertainers but you are also winners. Can you understand why people are suddenly saying that players such as you, Messi, Kaka and Fernando Torres are worth £100 million on the transfer market? 
CR: I think really special players are maybe worth that. I agree with that. When you are good, when you are a special player, you are more expensive than the other ones. That’s normal. It’s like cars. Some cars are better than others. That’s why they’re more expensive. It’s the same with futbol players. But this is only my opinion. 

H: Do you feel like you can get even better as a player? Is there more to come from you? 
CR: I think I can improve all the time. If 10 out of 10 is the maximum, I haven’t reached the maximum yet, so I would give myself nine. I hope 10 out of 10 is to come. I believe it will. My challenge is always to be better and better. You have to try for that. If you don’t try, you won’t win anything. 

H: One other goal for you is trying to win the World Cup for Portugal in South Africa next summer, but I guess the big priority there is to make sure you qualify. 
CR: I always want to progress in this sport and win more titles and trophies. And above all I always dream of winning the World Cup with Portugal. Winning the Champions League with Manchester United last year was incredible so I can’t even begin to think what winning the World Cup with your country would be like. It would be an amazing feeling. I know I have achieved a lot already in my career, but I like to live in the present and not to look into the past.’
(Courtesy: Hakkie-Tikkie Media)