Why Ronaldo is not normal – Benatia

Medhi Benatia recalled an experience he had with Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at Juventus.

The 32-year-old spent six months with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner in Turin before he left for Qatar to join Al-Duhail in January.

The moments shared with the former Real Madrid star remain memorable and Benatia recalled a particular request Ronaldo made to him after being an unused substitute against Atalanta which got him surprised.

“It dates to a trip back from Bergamo. The two of us didn’t play and we were left on the bench because three days later we had another game,” Benatia told RMC Sport.

“In the bus on the way back, Ronaldo said to me: ‘What are you going to do now as soon as we get back? I replied: ‘It’s 11 pm, I’m going home, why?’

“And he added: ‘Don’t you want to have a small training session with me? I didn’t sweat in the game, I have to train, don’t you want to keep me company?

“And again, I had to explain to him that it wasn’t possible, I just wanted to go home, sit myself down, in front of the TV.”


“When we arrived, everyone was dressed in normal clothes, but he put his shorts on, sneakers, music and went to the gym. I thought, ‘this guy is not normal’.”

Aside from the experience, Benatia praised Ronaldo for his sacrifices and also disclosed how he goes about his individual training routine.

“When you are in touch with him in everyday life, you respect the boy before the player. He sacrifices his whole life for football,” he added.

“I was surprised to discover the intensity he puts into every workout, and above all, he repeats it every day.

“In addition to the stuff we did in the group, he had his own personalised programme 25 minutes before leaving the pitch. He worked a lot on his explosiveness, with rubber bands, weights and much more.”