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Cristiano Ronaldo was so dedicated to training that Sir Alex Ferguson once had to tell the Manchester United forward to stop training so close to a match.
Ronaldo's work rate has been well known throughout his career, even if he doesn't exactly press defences like he once might have, and that desire is what helps in clutch situations, such as his last minute equaliser on Wednesday night.
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The United forward has always been someone who trains a lot and looks after his body, which is why he isn't happy when his son drinks Coca-Cola.
However in his first spell at Old Trafford, the Champions League's all time top goalscorer actually got himself a bit of a telling off from Fergie about over training, according to former teammate Nicky Butt.
"Ronaldo was to emerge as a genius but it wasn’t just about his talents that took him right to the top," Butt said in a new book 'Viva Ronaldo.'
"It is often said that certain players worked hard, stayed behind for some extra training or to practise their techniques, but with Cristiano it was total dedication, total commitment, and total hard work.
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"He didn’t have a God given physique, it wasn’t given, he worked hard to achieve it. He actually came to us as a skinny, scrawny young kid, and worked hard to get that physique over many, may years.
"He had to reach a new level of physical strength because the Premier League demanded it, and he had plenty of opportunity to see at first hand how physical and tough it can be when he was up against, even in training, the likes of Roy Keane and Jaap Stam.
"We would also see him work relentlessly on his free kicks and he would tell us about something he had seen somewhere, and he wanted to perfect it, and he would work again relentlessly until he did.
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"It all went beyond dedication, he was obsessed with football.
"You see it all the time when some players talk about their dedication and how much extra practise they put in.
"But often it is little more than a pretence, maybe a touch more time practising and then rush off to do something else they are keen on, or can’t wait to go home and have something to eat, but rarely do you find someone totally committed 24/7 to the game, but Cristiano was one of those.
"He never had a girlfriend back then, or seemed that interested in any distractions such as that, he never had a wife and kids to rush back to see or to entertain, he lived alone.
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"He was the last to leave the building. In fact, you couldn’t get him off the training pitch as he worked relentlessly on his techniques, as we all walking off he was carrying a bag of balls to work on those techniques.
"We would be having lunch in the canteen or getting ready to go home and you could hear the voice of Sir Alex bellowing across the training fields at two or three o’clock in the afternoon, shouting at Cristiano that it was time to get off the pitch as 'we have a game in two days - enough now'!"
Butt was the man replaced back in 2003 to allow Ronaldo to make his debut, with the youngster coming on in a game against Bolton Wanderers not long after his move from Sporting.
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The defensive midfielder, who often played alongside Roy Keane or Paul Scholes, told the new signing "good luck, enjoy it," as he came off the pitch and his replacement went on.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson
