“Capable of excelling at practically any sport” - When Real Madrid doctor said Cristiano Ronaldo’s ex-teammate was better athlete than him

Former Real Madrid doctor Jesus Olmo has rated Gareth Bale as a better athlete than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Playing at the top level despite being 39 and scoring 54 goals in 59 games for club and country last year, Ronaldo is considered by many to be one of the fittest players.

However, in 2020, Olmo spoke about Gareth Bale, Ronaldo's former teammate at Real Madrid, as the 'best athlete' he had seen.

"Possibly the best athlete I've seen is Gareth Bale," Jesus Olmo told Spanish outlet Ideal (via Sport Bible) in 2020. "He's a natural athlete, capable of excelling at practically any sport."

Olmo continued:

"He has unusual genetics and athletic ability, and I would say technical ability as well. He's the one who impressed me most in all aspects, although there is then performance, which comes about from different circumstances."

Bale retired in January 2023, one month after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he participated with Wales. The former Los Blancos winger is now a regular golf player.

---

La Liga president Javier Tebas talks about how he took action against fans who targeted Cristiano Ronaldo

Javier Tebas has been the La Liga president since 2013. The Spanish league faced criticism earlier this season for fans chanting vile comments at Los Blancos winger Vinicius Jr.

Claiming that he has always been an action man, Tebas refered to how he defended Cristiano Ronaldo (via Essentially Sports):

“I remember very well when people used to shout ‘This Portuguese,…’, and when I became president, I immediately took action against this. We made all the complaints that needed to be made and, in two years, we managed to put an end to this lack of respect once and for all.”

Cristiano Ronaldo spent nine years in Madrid, during which he was the target of fans for multiple reasons. Defending Spanish football against complaints of racism, Tebas said:

“When this happens, we use every means to identify who did it and bring it to justice. Spanish soccer isn’t racist; there are people who go to soccer and are racist, and we don’t want them in stadiums.”

Ronaldo will next be in action for his current side Al-Nassr against Al-Feiha at home in the second leg of their AFC Champions League Round of 16 tie on Wednesday (February 21).