Cristiano Ronaldo has prompted Al Nassr squad to follow 'stricter diet' after joining

Cristiano Ronaldo has forced his Al Nassr teammates into improving their diet and training better since joining, the club's nutritionist says.

Ronaldo made his lucrative £175 million-a-year move to Saudi Arabia last month and has already significantly raised the profile of Al Nassr and the Saudi Pro League.

On the pitch, despite some early struggles, the 37-year-old has showed he's still very much got it by scoring five in as many games - including four in a single outing.

Ronaldo took the captain's armband off previous skipper Abdullah Madu, though the decision was welcomed by the squad.

In his second spell before at United, before it all went wrong, there were many stories about how United players started to watch what they were eating when Ronaldo joined.

And it seems the same is happening at Al Nassr, with Jose Blesa having nothing but positive things to say about Ronaldo's influence.

It's common knowledge that Ronaldo is ridiculously strict when it comes to his food and he claims the players are following his ways.

Image: Alamy

"I was uncertain, like everyone else, about what it was going to be like to work with him and if the club was going to change a lot, but I haven't found a more professional footballer than him," he told Ideal.

Every conversation with him is a learning curve. We met and talked about his diet, about how he understands the importance of this and rest for performance. He wears two rest meters: the ring and the bracelet. He is the first to arrive at training and the last to leave. Dealing with him is wonderful.

“Cristiano helps me a lot, because we can no longer teach him anything, but he creates a school around him. The rest of the players do what he does because everything he does is wonderful to improve his performance. Since he has been here, all the players have trained more intensely and followed a stricter diet.

"I have not seen a club like this in which the players improve practically 90% in their body composition every time I see them: they have less fat, more muscle and they do all the exercises at their fingertips. It is a luxury to work there.”

Image: Alamy

There were reports that Ronaldo was struggling to hire a personal chef on £4,500-per-month over in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, because of his demands.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is back in action on Saturday as league leaders Al Nassr take on Damac at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium.

Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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