"My father always insisted that I follow my dream" - Cristiano Ronaldo responds when asked if he always thought he'd become a superstar

Cristiano Ronaldo spoke about his days as a youngster during a recent podcast appearance with WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed. The Portuguese captain moved from Sporting to Manchester United in 2003 as a highly rated young winger.

Talking about how he never dreamt about becoming a superstar, Ronaldo said (via X handle Gio CR7):

“I started playing football at home and on the street when I was 7, 8, 9 years old, and that’s where it all started. Football was my first love. But I never thought I would be a star. Not even when I was 16, maybe later, when I was 18."

Adding how his late father always encouraged him to play football, Ronaldo said:

"My father always insisted that I follow my dream. He saw that I had talent and encouraged me to play on the streets and for our local team Andorinha."

Ronaldo has established himself as a bonafide superstar in football and is considered one of the greatest players in the game's history. The former Real Madrid and Manchester United man holds the record for the most goals scored in the history of the sport alongside other merits.

La Liga president Javier Tebas makes Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo claim

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi spent their prime years in La Liga representing Real Madrid and Barcelona. They won multiple Spanish leagues, domestic cups, Champions Leagues for their teams along with Ballons d'Or for themselves.

Ronaldo left Real Madrid in 2018 for Juventus while Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain after ending his contract at Barca in 2021. Claiming that losing the two superstars did not cause a drop in their revenue, La Liga president Javier Tebas told A Bola:

"[Messi and Ronaldo leaving] didn't cause any damage because we didn't shrink, but with them, we would certainly have grown faster. The French league with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe didn't grow, Cristiano Ronaldo went to Italy and Italian football [revenue] has not improved, ours did even though we lost them both."

Messi is currently playing in the MLS with Inter Miami while Ronaldo represents Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.