Fabio Capello thinks that the former striker of Brazil Ronaldo would have been “the number one in history” if he was ready to brake his excessive lifestyle.
Capello worked with Ronaldo at Real Madrid but has become more and more frustrated by the player’s lack of self -discipline, which inevitably led to injury problems.
At that time, Ronaldo had already undergone serious knee problems that saw his game decrease from the young explosive striker who had undoubtedly become the best player in the world during spells with PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona and Inter Milan.
The relationship with Capello finally ended acrimonious in January 2007 when he signed for AC Milan, the Brazilian leaving the Santiago Bernabeu by thanking all the coaches he had in Madrid “except one”.
The injuries derailed the career of Ronaldo – Capello
Despite their benefits, Capello retains the conviction that Ronaldo could have been the greatest of all time.
He told El Mundo: “Without injuries and taking care of him, he would have been the number one in history, at the level of [Lionel] Messi and [Diego] Maradona.
“In an aspect [the injuries] He couldn’t and the other [the lifestyle] He didn’t want to. There are football players who are like that. »»
He was big – Capello
When he was asked how he came to the decision to let him leave Madrid, Capello said: “He was big. He didn’t want to lose weight and he loved good life too much.
“In addition, the worst was that he dragged his teammates in this life and ended up creating an even more serious problem for me.
“I gave him the opportunity to lose weight and behave but he did not want. Out. There is no more.
Guti was another who couldn’t stop – Capello
Capello said that in this regard, Ronaldo was similar to Guti, another former man from Real Madrid, supremely talented who probably did not reach the summits that his deserved talents.
“He could have been everything he wanted,” he said about the former Spanish midfielder. “I talked to him all the time and said,” Why don’t you sacrifice yourself a little? ” Living an ordered life for a while and at 36, when you have done everything, can you devote yourself to enjoying things?
“And he replied:” Sir, you have to have a good time now before it is too late “. There was no way to convince him.
“For players like Ronaldo or Guti, I still like to underline the importance of Raúl in Madrid. He did not have the pure talent of others, but he was so intelligent and so ambitious that it did not matter. He’s the football player I want. “”
