Al Nassr star Sadio Mané has offered fresh insight into Cristiano Ronaldo’s personality, work ethic, and Portuguese winning mentality, describing the five-time Ballon d’Or icon as an inspiration to footballers worldwide.
Mané, who switched to the Saudi Pro League from Liverpool two seasons ago and teamed up with Ronaldo at Al Nassr, shared his admiration during an interview with Rio Ferdinand. The Senegal international has settled into life in Saudi Arabia and developed a strong attacking partnership with the legendary forward.
His move to Riyadh in 2023 has provided him with close-up exposure to Ronaldo’s training habits, competitive mindset, and influence within the squad.
“Cristiano is a role model for every football player in the world. This is Cristiano, with his mentality, his passion for winning, and his high level of professionalism. I have never seen a player like him before,” he said.
Mané explained that his respect for Ronaldo began long before they became teammates, noting that his perception from afar perfectly matched the reality after joining him at Al Nassr.
“Before I knew him personally, I used to watch him on TV and read about him in the news, about his professionalism, mentality, and remarkable seriousness. And when I came here and met him, I found exactly the same thing.
“He’s unbelievable, he works hard every single day and still has the desire to win and to give his best, even at the age of 40. You can see that he is a complete athlete in every sense of the word.”
Since becoming teammates, Mané and Ronaldo have featured together in 91 matches across all competitions for Al Nassr. The prolific pair have combined to score 16 goals and are expected to lead the line again when the club faces Al-Khaleej this weekend in the Saudi Pro League.
The remarks further highlight Ronaldo’s enduring influence, leadership qualities, and continued presence as a defining figure in world football, even in the later stages of his career — reinforcing his status as one of the game’s most admired professionals.
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