Cristiano Ronaldo’s tears no secret, says former Portugal and Manchester United teammate Nani

In a candid interview with FourFourTwo, Nani—who first shared a dressing room with Cristiano Ronaldo at Sporting Lisbon and later reunited with him at Manchester United and with the Portuguese national team—has lifted the lid on the superstar’s emotional relationship with the game.

“Cristiano lived football with immense passion,” Nani explained. “If he didn’t win or things didn’t go well, he cried. That showed how committed he was and with what intensity he lived the game.”

The 39-year-old winger, currently playing for Kazakhstan’s FK Aktobe, recalled that even as a teenager Ronaldo “stood out from the crowd and knew exactly what he wanted,” channeling every setback into motivation.

Those early tears, Nani insists, were never a sign of weakness but rather an illustration of a winner’s mindset that has carried the five-time world footballer well into his 41st year and to the brink of yet another historic milestone.

Ronaldo’s career tally stands at 956 goals for club and country, according to Transfermarkt, leaving him 44 short of the coveted 1,000-mark. Nani is convinced his former teammate will get there: “I have no doubt about that. It’s a milestone that is important to him and something he has had in mind for years.”

With Ronaldo still competing at the highest level, the countdown to quadruple digits has become a subplot every bit as compelling as the goals themselves.