Cristiano Ronaldo Tells Khabib Nurmagomedov His Worry About His Son, Cristiano Jr
JOSH LAWLESS in FOOTBALL
Last updated 9:07, Friday 05 March 2021 GMT
Cristiano Ronaldo told Khabib Nurmagomedov he worries about his son lacking the "hunger" to succeed him.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's son Cristiano Jr also signed for Juventus when his famous father made a £99 million switch to Juventus in 2018.
Wearing the No.7 on his back, the youngster demonstrated his impressive talent by bagging 58 goals and 18 assists in 28 games playing for Juventus Under 9's - including four goals on his debut in a 7-1 victory over Lucento and a ridiculous SEVEN goals in a 25-0 win over Maritimo China in the International Maritimo Centenary Tournament.
Cristiano Jr has told his dad he will be better than him but according to UFC lightweight champion Khabib, a close friend of Ronaldo's, the Juventus superstar worries that his lad won't have the same level of hunger as him because of the environment he grew up in.
"We chat all the time, texting lots daily, but when we meet in person, we've had a discussion on motivation sources recently," Khabib told YouTube channel Krasava.
"He told me he wanted his son to succeed him but he was worried his son won't be able to do it since when Cristiano himself was his age, he could only dream about a pair of simple cleats [boots].
"His son has everything. So he's worried that he will never feel that hunger.
"In fact, people are driven by hunger. One needs motivation, one needs to have a desire to achieve things.
"When you have everything, it's hard to find a proper source of motivation.
"When he told me that, I can't say I was surprised, as things are simple things. But I liked it. I understood that he was such a person who would never be satisfied with one, two or three titles."
Image: Instagram
In 2019, Ronaldo decided to show his son where he and his friend Miguel Paixao stayed back in Lisbon after he left his Madeira home at the age of 12 to pursue his dream.
Cristiano Jr, who has had a life of luxury, was stunned by the room his old man lived in for a period.
"I went with Paixao and [Cristiano] and we entered the room where I had stayed," Ronaldo told Portuguese channel TVI.
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"They think everything is easy in this world. The quality of life, the houses, the cars, the clothes...
"They think that it all just falls into their lap. That [is] what I try to instill in my son, including when I do events in schools.
"I try to convey that these things don't come with having talent alone. But with hard work and dedication, I think you can achieve everything you want to do."
"My son turned to me and said: 'Papa. Did you live here?' He could not believe it."
Image: PA
Ronaldo, who lives an ultra healthy lifestyle to maintain in peak physical condition, recently said he would not push his eldest child to be a footballer.
However, he does take issue with some of his food and drinks choices.
"I'm hard with him sometimes because he drinks Coca-Cola and Fanta sometimes and I'm pissed with him," he said at the Global Soccer Awards.
"I fight with him when he eats chips and fries and everything, he knows I don't like it.
"Even my small kids, when they eat chocolate they always look to me and, you know, we have to be strong.
Sometimes when we're at home I say 'go to the treadmill to run a bit' and after the treadmill I say 'now go to the cold water to recover to do it tomorrow again,' and it's 'daddy, it's so cold the water I don't want to do it.'
"But I understand it, he's only 10 years old, it's up to him, I'm not gonna push nothing for him to be a football player. If you ask me if I want, yes I want, but he's gonna be whatever he wants. If he wants to be a doctor or, I just want him thinking 'I've got to be the best.'"
Cristiano Ronaldo Tells Khabib Nurmagomedov His Worry About His Son, Cristiano Jr
