Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo shared that the secret to his success is simply trying his best because talent is not enough.
Cristiano Ronaldo, striker and captain of the Portugal national football team, is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time.
The 37-year-old football star has won five Ballon d’Or awards and four European Golden Shoes, the most by a European player. Cristiano Ronaldo has won 32 trophies in his career, including La Liga, the Champions League and Euro 2016.
Ronaldo is one of the few players to have made more than 1,100 appearances in professional football and he has scored more than 800 goals for club and country.
One of the most famous athletes in the world, Ronaldo was ranked the world’s highest-paid athlete by Forbes magazine in 2016 and 2017. He was also ESPN’s most famous athlete in the world from 2016 to 2019.
Cristiano Ronaldo has had an illustrious career (Photo: 9sport).
Time magazine included Cristiano Ronaldo in the list of 100 most influential people in the world in 2014. Cristiano Ronaldo is the “star” with the most followers on Instagram (more than 501 million followers) and he owns assets worth hundreds of millions of USD.
Talented, famous and rich, Cristiano Ronaldo once said that his secret to success is nothing special. “I don’t have a secret to success. For me, the important thing is to have determination and work hard, always giving 100% of my ability. If someone asks me if I have a secret, I will answer: “I simply always work hard”.
Ronaldo is known for his relentless pursuit of perfection. Many experts believe that much of the Portuguese star’s success is due to his “unprecedented” level of dedication to the sport, and Cristiano Ronaldo explains that talent alone is not enough to succeed.
“If you have talent but don’t work hard, you won’t win anything. In my career, I’ve always tried my best to train and compete. Only by trying my best can I achieve success,” Cristiano Ronaldo confided.
Cristiano Ronaldo left home to learn football at a young age and he admits that living away from his family at a young age was difficult but still had many benefits for his career.
At 37, Cristiano Ronaldo is still giving his all. He said: “If I still want to achieve something, I can do it. For what I have done in football and what I continue to do, I will be known for it for the rest of my life.
When I’m old, at 90, people will remember who Cristiano Ronaldo is. I want to say, you have to work hard. I try to do that almost every day. It’s not about luck. The truth is that off the pitch, I still work extremely hard.”
Born into a poor family, Cristiano Ronaldo admits he was obsessed with making money and being successful. “I only work for these two things. It’s not about the hours you put in, it’s about how you train and practice. It’s about dedication and hard work.
I give 100% to football and talent is not enough. I have given so much that the records are part of who I am. I don’t chase records, the records chase me.”
Cristiano Ronaldo admitted that he has been passionate about football since he was a child and will be passionate about it for the rest of his life. However, he does not think there will be another Cristiano Ronaldo in the future. “No one will be the next Cristiano, because I do not compare myself to anyone and I do not want young boys to compare themselves to me.”
Cristiano Ronaldo also affirmed: “If you compare yourself to others, you will never succeed. My advice is: Be yourself, believe in yourself, be serious and professional in everything. Personally, I love my job, like to contribute and am obsessed with becoming someone who leaves a mark in this life.”
Cristiano Ronaldo with his girlfriend and children (Photo: Instagram).
The handsome football star gave advice to young people: “Follow your dreams. If you want to be a football player, an engineer or do any other job, give it your all.”
You have to give it your all, believe in yourself and work hard to make your dreams come true. Anything is possible in this life. That’s not arrogance, that’s confidence.”