On signing for Juventus FC in a ~ €100m move from Real Madrid in 2018, football legend — Christiano Ronaldo had this to say at a news conference:
“I’m a person who likes to think about the present. I’m still very young, and I always liked the challenges, from Sporting [Lisbon] to Manchester [United] to Real [Madrid] and now Juventus.
It is a well-thought-out decision. It is the best club in Italy. It has an outstanding manager (Massimiliano Allegri) and coaches so it was not a difficult decision to take.
I am very ambitious, and I like new challenges. I hope everything will go very well. Luck always helps, but you have to look for it.”
6 Life Lessons from a Seemingly ‘Ordinary’ CR7 Interview
1. “I’m still very young.”
When Ronaldo was signing for Juventus he was 33 years old. At this age, most footballers are either winding down their careers or retiring, but Ronaldo says: “I’m still very young.” The qualifier ‘very’ makes it even more interesting because by his self-evaluation, 33 wasn’t that old and he believed that there was still a lot left in the barrel. Ronaldo would go on to win the Serie A title in the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 seasons and secure the Scudetto (Italian top-flight title) during his time with the club.
Mindset matters.
2. “I’ve always liked challenges.”
In addition to the physical demands of playing football into his mid-thirties, Ronaldo had to adapt to a new league and a different style of play in the Serie A, not discounting the pressure on him to deliver the UEFA Champions League trophy. Still, he welcomed the challenge and tackled it head-on becoming the top goal scorer for the club in his debut season while helping the club achieve the highest sale volume for the № 7 jersey in its history.
Our attitude to challenges matters. As a matter of fact, how we interpret the many obstacles we face in this world goes a long way in determining success or failure. Where we see an obstacle as a stumbling block — it becomes one. Where we see it as a stepping stone — it becomes one too. Our interpretation and perception of the many events that shape our lives, and the many events we don’t have control over bears a direct correlation to how those events will affect us and shape us.
3. “It is a well-thought-out decision.”
In Ronaldo’s words, the Juventus move wasn’t coincidental. With his achievements in the Soccerverse, a player like Ronaldo would always be spoiled for choice, but in his words, he chose Juventus because it was the best club in Italy [sic] and it had an outstanding manager in Massilimiano Allegri — a former footballer who’d helped club side Sassuolo reach the Serie B for the first time in their history and had won the Serie A title for 4 consecutive seasons before Ronaldo joined.
Being deliberate about our life choices is non-negotiable. The choices we make, make us — so why shouldn’t we be intentional? From our choice of where to work, the friends we make, our life partner, family size, and social and professional affiliations, we are faced with a barrage of decisions that offers us the opportunity to be more in control of our destinies. A less engaging way to see life is that it happens; when for more intentional people, they are the ones making their life happen.
In my journey, I’ve seen people take intentionality to great lengths. Couples that name their child Aaron just so he is always the first name on every list, to men that date only rich women to increase their chances of marrying into money, to young professionals that sell all they have to move into a neighborhood that offers upward social potential.
4. “I’m very ambitious.”
Sigh.
A lot has been said about ambition, but for all that’s been said, the role of ambition in the story of success can never be overstated.
You’ve got to want it bad.
When you want it as bad as you want it, the whole world will know it, and it will want it with you just as badly as you want it. Ambition is tangible. It is a force that can be converted into physical manifestations of colossal proportions. Ambition is the echo frequency that raises the arms of the universe and rouses the winds of its benedictions in one’s favor.
From Portugal to England to Spain, Ronaldo’s passion for the game cannot be glossed over — not even by his detractors. Throughout his career, Ronaldo has shown an unwavering commitment to improving his skills and abilities. He is known for his intense training routines, dedication to physical fitness, and a desire to enhance his game in every aspect. This relentless pursuit of self-improvement showcases his ambition to become the best player possible. Former teammates talk about Ronaldo’s ambition and his insane devotion to fitness and self-improvement. It’s no wonder that he’s won five Ballon d’Or awards.
5. “I hope everything will go well.”
Understanding that we are never fully in control is an important life hack, especially for high achievers who are more likely to dismiss luck’s role in success.
Luck always helps, but you have to look for it.
Luck is an often misconstrued concept, especially in our evaluation of hard work and success. We often think of luck (or hope) as more of a gambler’s trait than a person of ambition. On the other hand, we want to tell our story of achievement to show a direct correlation between our efforts and the rewards that come from those efforts. When Luck happens as it usually does, we feel it is a cop-out; as if we haven’t earned it, but in truth, luck is a friend of the striving.
In Stephen Leacock’s words:
“I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”
Ronaldo was born into a modest Catholic home in Portugal to a Cook and a Gardener. He didn’t complete schooling beyond the 6th grade. He could have ended up being a stable hand or a grocer but he didn’t. In her autobiography, his mother Dolores Aveiro revealed that she’d wanted to abort him due to poverty, his father’s alcoholism, and having too many children already, but her doctor refused to perform the procedure, as abortions were illegal in Portugal at the time. One must admit that hindsight is always perfect sight and such stories are better told in reverse but in Ronaldo’s words, “Luck always helps, but you have to look for it.”
And that concludes the list of learning points from the GOAT.
Wait, I said 6 points right?
Well, of all the things Christiano Ronaldo said in this transformative interview, if you forget anything, don’t forget this:
6. “I am a person who likes to think of the present.”
Always think of life in the present. All you are is what is happening now. There is no future but that which you do now. Live in the moment. Be present. Be the gift you are to the world.
Unwrap.
Make the most of the moment because tomorrow is never assured.
Christiano Ronaldo has won 32 trophies in his career which include: 7 league titles, 5 UEFA Champions Leagues, the UEFA European Championship, and the UEFA Nations League. He holds the records for most appearances (183), most goals scored (140) and most assists (42) in the Champions League. He also holds the record for the most goals in the European Championship (14), the most international goals (123), and the most international appearances (200). He is one of the few players to have made over 1,100 professional career appearances and has scored over 800 official senior career goals for club and country, making him the highest goal scorer of all time.