“I was like, ‘Oh, come on, man, this guy’”- Adebayor recalls how his first meeting with Cristiano Ronaldo left him stunned before Real Madrid training

Former Real Madrid forward Emmanuel Adebayor has shared an anecdote about his first meeting with Cristiano Ronaldo in training. The former Togonese international joined Los Blancos from Manchester City on a six-month loan deal in January 2011.

CR7 had made the move from the Premier League to the Santiago Bernabeu two years earlier and was running ramphant with the LaLiga giants at that time. Adebayor was roped in to add more bite to Real Madrid's attack and helped them win the Copa del Rey.

Speaking recently to Optus Sport, as cited by GOAL, Adebayor recalled meeting the Portuguese superstar for the first time in training.

“Okay, this is my first session, so I'll go at 8:30 or so and I'll be about two hours early. I arrived at 8:45. All the lights were off, the room was dark, so I was happy, ‘thank God, I'm the first one to arrive here, they will see that I am a professional, they will say that I am diligent’," said Adebayor.

He continued:

"But then I heard something, a noise in the background. I was like, what's going on? It was my first training session and I didn't know the facilities yet. I asked one of the physiotherapists what was going on downstairs. And he told me that Cristiano Ronaldo was there. I was like, 'Oh, come on, man, this guy’... In the end I was second."

He concluded:

“Training started at 10:30 and you arrive at 7:30. To do what? Three or four hours early! I told myself to leave him in his own world, so that he could enjoy football and his career. And today he is 40 years old, still in the elite, playing football, at the top... It is simply beautiful to watch. A great example.”

Adebayor shared the pitch with Cristiano Ronaldo on 18 occasions for Real Madrid, winning 12 and losing just two. The duo contributed one goal together.

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When did Cristiano Ronaldo leave Real Madrid?

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 as one of the world's best players. Los Blancos reportedly paid Manchester United £80m for the Portuguese superstar.

CR7 spent nine seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu, scoring 450 goals from 438 games for the LaLiga giants. He left Real Madrid to join Juventus in 2018 in a reportedly €112m deal. After three seasons at Turin and a brief return to Manchester United, Ronaldo currently plies his trade with Al-Nassr.