Jose Fonte Admits Cristiano Ronaldo Did Press-Ups In The Shower

Cristiano Ronaldo has a number of habits that might seem a tad excessive to the regular Joe.

For example, his overzealous celebrations when he scores important goals. Or the hours clearly spent toning the body to ensure he looks good in those overzealous celebrations.

Then there’s the ’Siiiiiii!’ celebration he shouted after winning the 2014 Ballon d’Or.

Ronaldo is a perfectionist. Nobody should decry him for celebrating his achievements or working hard to ensure he’s in peak physical condition.

But Jose Fonte’s admission about the Real Madrid man’s shower habits will leave you a little puzzled.

Fonte and Ronaldo first met as teenagers at Sporting Lisbon before they became recognised figures in the football world.

And it didn’t take long for Southampton’s Fonte to realise that Ronaldo was more determined than just about any other player he had met.

“I just remember him doing push-ups in the shower,” Fonte said in an interview with the Telegraph.

“He would say to everyone, ‘I will do more push-ups than you in the shower after training’. And he would. He would do more than everyone." 

"It showed how competitive he is. He was so far ahead of everyone.”

The pair have been friends for nearly 20 years, which might just have swayed Fonte’s thinking when it came to answering the Ronaldo or Lionel Messi debate.

“I love Messi but Ronaldo is Ronaldo,” the 32-year-old added. 

“He was only young and I saw him millions of times in the gym, after training, when everyone else had gone home trying to get stronger, trying to be quicker. His work ethic and desire to be the best is unmatchable.” 

Fonte has watched Ronaldo become a worldwide star - something the former Manchester United player admitted left him with few genuine friends in his self-titled documentary - and has seen first-hand what fame has done to the three-time Ballon d’Or winner.

“He’s a world phenomenon,” Fonte added.

“You can’t go anywhere; everyone knows him. He is recognised worldwide and attracts so many millions of people. Everyone wants a piece of him.”

“It’s difficult. He went through the different stages of fame. Friends who knew him before this, know what a good person he is. We know what he had to do to get to where he has and it’s great to see how well he has done in life. It’s not an easy situation to be in."

"People think sometimes it’s great to be Cristiano. Obviously it has its ups but also the downs. He deals with it in a great manner. It is a privilege to be sharing the dressing-room with him. He has been an inspiration to me.”

Source: GiveMeSport