Gerard Pique: "People are jealous of Cristiano Ronaldo because he's rich and handsome"

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has come out in defence of Cristiano Ronaldo, calling him a ‘friendly guy’.

Ronaldo can often give the image of a selfish, self-absorbed, pampered man but Pique says to ignore that as he’s actually a nice guy. He is often perceived – and criticised – for being too arrogant, but Pique is having none of that.

The pair were team-mates at Manchester United between 2004 and 2008 and the Spanish international centre-back has nothing but good words for the Madrid star.

“He may have been a bit too sincere when he said that people are jealous of him because he’s handsome, rich and a great player,” Pique was quoted as saying by Marca.

“I know him very well and he is a friendly guy. His public image does not correspond with how he is in real life.”

Pique left Man United for Barcelona in 2008 and suddenly became one of the top central defenders in world football. He has constantly been an opponent of Ronaldo’s in huge games ever since, especially since the Portuguese left England to sign for Real Madrid.

Sir Alex Ferguson recently revealed that he wanted to bring Ronaldo back to United for a world record fee, but the Ballon d’Or winner looks set to remain in Madrid for years to come after signing a new, huge contract earlier in the season.