“He was someone who imposed himself a lot” - Ex-Real Madrid star Jese Rodriguez on being ‘similar’ to Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Real Madrid winger Jese Rodriguez has spoken about comparisons between himself and club legend Cristiano Ronaldo. The Spaniard graduated from Madrid's academy La Fabrica in 2011, breaking into Los Blancos' first team to play alongside the Portuguese icon at Valdebebas.

After just four seasons at the club, he made the switch to Paris Saint-Germain in 2016. However, despite being on the French giants' books for another four seasons, he played just 18 games, spending the vast majority of his time on loan. Jese Rodriguez struggled to find form and hit the heights that were widely expected of him after he entered Real Madrid's first team.

Now, the 31-year-old plays for Malaysian club Johor DT, having left European football entirely. In an interview with YouTuber Mowlihawk, he spoke about how the press exaggerated comparisons between him and Cristiano Ronaldo (via The Sun):

"It's true that Cristiano and I had similar aspects, but the press exaggerated a lot. For me, he was like a mirror. I wanted to win everything he had won. He was someone who imposed himself a lot with his serious and professional attitude."

Jese Rodriguez would go on to win only a fraction of what Cristiano Ronaldo won. Aside from five trophies at Real Madrid, he won two with Paris Saint-Germain, unable to win much else while on loan at other clubs like Stoke City.

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Jese Rodriguez compares Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid superstar

Jese Rodriguez has compared Cristiano Ronaldo with Kylian Mbappe, who he played alongside at Paris Saint-Germain. In his interview with Mowlihawk, he explained that they showed off the same quality in training (via GOAL):

“There wasn't that much difference with the feelings I had when I trained with Cristiano. They were both the same, they scored goals in every training session. They both have their different talents, but it was already clear that Mbappe was going to be a star.”

Kylian Mbappe eventually made the switch to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer, leaving PSG after a drawn-out transfer saga. However, according to Jese, the French World Cup winner always had his eyes set on Los Blancos:

“I had a couple of conversations with him before I left. He asked me what Real Madrid was like as a club and I told him that it was the best club in the world and that if he wanted to win the Ballon d'Or he should sign for Madrid.”

It has not been the easiest start to life for Mbappe at Valdebebas, where he has struggled to impress in the Champions League, with one goal and one assist in five games. In La Liga, he has scored eight goals and provided an assist in 13 games.