Patrice Evra labels Cristiano Ronaldo an “angry man” and a "machine" as he reveals star's insatiable character

Sport360 staff 17:26 19/06/2018
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  • Patrice Evra has called his former Manchester United teammate and current Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo an “angry man” after revealing he once trained for two weeks at home because Rio Ferdinand beat him – at a game of table tennis.

    In a revealing insight to the character of a player who has won a joint record amount of Balon d’Or titles (five alongside Lionel Messi) – Evra told ITV the Portugal powerhouse has an insatiable desire to succeed, at anything it seems.

    Evra, who spent eight years at Old Trafford and three with a precocious but supremely talented Ronaldo, said: “With Rio Ferdinand, they were playing table tennis and Rio beat him (Ronaldo), and we were all screaming and Ronaldo was so upset,” he told ITV.

    “Then he sent his cousin to buy a tennis table, he trained for two weeks at home and he came back and he beat Rio in front of everyone.

    “That’s Cristiano Ronaldo, so that’s why I’m not surprised today why he wants to win another golden ball, why he wants to win the World Cup. Because he’s an angry man.”

    Despite being 33, Ronaldo shows no signs of slowing down, scoring 44 goals in 44 games for Los Blancos this season, helping them win the Champions League.

    Evra signed for United in 2006.

    Evra signed for United in 2006.

    And he was at his devastating best as he scored a hat-trick in Portugal’s 2018 World Cup-opener with Spain on Friday, his third a stunning free-kick in the game’s dying embers as Fernando Santos’ side rescued a 3-3 draw.

    Ronaldo’s work ethic is well known in football, and is something he developed and honed while learning the game in England.

    He would often stay after training for hours and practice free-kicks – Evra revealed he even wanted to train during meal time, having once invited the Frenchman over for lunch.

    “I would give advice to anybody, when Cristiano invites you for lunch at his house, just say no,” Evra joked.

    “So he said, ‘Patrice, come over after training.’ I went, you know I was really tired, [and] at the table there was only salad and plain white chicken so I was like, okay, and water, not any juice and we started eating and I was thinking some big meat would be coming after that but there was nothing.

    “He just finished and he stood up and he started playing with a ball, doing some skills and he said ‘Let’s do some two-touch.’

    “I was like, can I just finish eating? ‘No, no let’s play two-touch,’ we start playing two-touch. After that he said let’s go to the pool to swim, I was like okay… And after going in the jacuzzi, the sauna, I’m done.

    “I say, ‘Cristiano why have we come here, have we come here because we have a game tomorrow, or just for lunch?’

    “So that’s why I would recommend to anyone when Cristiano invites you to his house, don’t go – just say no because this guy, he’s a machine, he doesn’t want to stop training.”

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