"More insecure and selfish but not in a bad way" - When Sami Khedira detailed experience of playing with Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid

Former Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has opened up on playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. The two initially shared the pitch for Los Blancos and teamed up later at Juventus.

The Portuguese ace arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2009, with the LaLiga giants reportedly paying Manchester United €94 million for his services. Ronaldo scored 450 goals from 438 games for Real Madrid and is their record goalscorer.

He left the Santiago Bernabeu for Turin in 2018, with Juventus reportedly paying approximately €112 million to secure his signature. Cristiano Ronaldo played three seasons with the Serie A giants, scoring 101 goals from 134 games across competitions.

As cited by Al Nassr Zone, Khedkar claimed Ronaldo was more mature and driven at Juventus than at Real Madrid.

“At Real Madrid he was younger and maybe a little more insecure and selfish but not in a bad way. He had to find his personality, he scored a lot of goals and he was fantastic. At Juventus he has the same spirit, the same selfishness and ego that wants to score goals," said Khedira.

"He was always talking to his teammates and pushing them forward and saying I know that if I want to win the Italian league or the Champions League I need more from my teammates, that's the difference at Juventus he was more mature and driven,” he added.

Cristiano Ronaldo left Juventus in the summer of 2021 to return to Manchester United. After a season and a half at Old Trafford, he moved to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr in December 2022.

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Is Cristiano Ronaldo the greatest Real Madrid footballer?

Sami Khedira

Cristiano Ronaldo won 16 trophies with Real Madrid. The Portuguese superstar won the Champions League four times and lifted the LaLiga title twice.

The 39-year-old also won the Copa Del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup for Los Blancos. Moreover, Ronaldo secured four of his five Ballon d'Or awards as a Real Madrid player.

However, in a recent assessment carried out by Four Four Two, the Portuguese ace missed out on top place in the club's all-time best player list. Instead, the award was handed to the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano, who won five European Cups with Los Blancos between 1956 and 1960.

Di Stefano registered 293 goals from 308 games for the club over an 11-year stay.