Cristiano Ronaldo has always been known for his incredible attention to detail, but a former Juventus teammate has revealed how he took his perfectionism to the next level.
Gianluca Frabotta, who played under Maurizio Sarri during the 2019-20 season, described an incident on the training ground that perfectly captured the Portuguese star’s unconventional approach to the game.
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In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Frabotta recalled the day Sarri tried to give Ronaldo tactical instructions during a session focused on set-pieces.
For most players, such feedback will be commonplace. For Ronaldo, it was unnecessary. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is known for his ability to anticipate the flow of play, but he didn’t like being told where to stand.
“He didn’t need instructions. He was different,” Frabotta said. “He had a feel for where the ball was going to fall.”
To make his point, Ronaldo reportedly bent down and pulled a handful of grass from the training ground, sniffed it and chewed it. “I like understanding the pitch and where the ball goes,” Ronaldo explained as Sarri looked on in disbelief.
It was a moment that left his teammates speechless and revealed a side of Ronaldo that few people saw, a player with an instinctive, almost obsessive sense of the game. The act may have seemed strange, but to those who played with him, it perfectly illustrated his constant desire to connect with all elements of football.
Ronaldo and Sarri’s uneasy partnership
Maurizio Sarri’s only campaign with Juventus was memorable not only for the Serie A title the team won, but also for the tension that existed between the manager’s tactical system and Ronaldo’s arrogance. Following the departure of manager Massimiliano Allegri, Sarri was appointed to modernize Juve’s style of play, but coaching a global superstar with his own football philosophy proved difficult.
“Managing Ronaldo is not easy,” Sarri admitted in a later interview with Sport Italia. “He is a multinational. His personal interests should align with football.”
Although Sarri openly praised Ronaldo’s professionalism, their working relationship was often described as uneasy. The manager’s insistence on positional structure clashed with Ronaldo’s preference for creative freedom and instinctive movement. But despite the philosophical disagreements, the results on the field spoke for themselves.
That season, Ronaldo produced one of his most dominant seasons in Italy, scoring 37 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions.
Juventus won their ninth consecutive Serie A trophy, but an early exit to Lyon in the Champions League proved costly. Sarri was sacked within days of the defeat, ending a partnership that had been largely silent despite its successes.
