Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos Comment on Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane and More

Former Real Madrid striker Ronaldo has opened up on his lavish lifestyle at the club, joking he spent more time partying with compatriot Roberto Carlos than he did with all of the women he married.  

The Brazilian icon, who spent five years with Madrid between 2002 and 2007, detailed how president Florentino Perez and former director of football Arrigo Sacchi disciplined him for arriving at training late, with the former advising him to follow the example of team-mate Luis Figo.

“[He] said I should look at Figo as an example to follow, and I said, with all due respect, that if I had a wife like Figo, I would also stay at home more,” Ronaldo told Onda Cero (h/t AS). “I have spent more nights with Roberto Carlos than all of the women I have been married to put together.”

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Ronaldo had a reputation for partying during his time in the Spanish capital, although his goalscoring remained razor sharp. According to the club’s official website, he netted 104 times in 177 appearances for Los Blancos.

The man known as “The Phenomenon” is rated as one of the finest strikers of his generation, although in the same interview he detailed how a lack of application and discipline early in his career prevented him from being even better.

“I trained really badly during the first 10 years of my sporting career,” he said. “I was expected to run the same as Roberto Carlos or Cafu, but I just couldn't do it. I suffered a lot of injuries because of training.”

Even with these problems, he was still a menace to defenders for Real and Brazil, as well as in spells at PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan and AC Milan.

Here’s a look at some of his best moments:

Ronaldo’s partying partner, Carlos, was another key part of the Madrid team during the Galacticos era, along with the club’s current manager Zinedine Zidane.

Carlos, in the same interview, noted a change in mentality in the Los Blancos boss and hailed the job he’s done. “Zidane laughs a lot more now than he did back when we were players,” said the former left-back. “If I was at another club, I would be quietly hoping they sack him because what he is doing, I have only seen a few times in my life.”

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Zidane’s career as Madrid manager got off to the best possible start, as he steered them to UEFA Champions League glory in May. As a player, he and Carlos were central to the team winning the same title in 2002; Ronaldo, remarkably, never lifted European football’s biggest prize.