It takes a huge amount of sacrifice to become the very best, just ask Cristiano Ronaldo, who constantly strives for perfection on a game-by-game basis.
Wayne Rooney once said that the Manchester United superstar used to look at his own reflection in the mirror to psych himself.
And former England international Peter Crouch has revealed that Rio Ferdinand once told him a story about the former Real Madrid, forward that will live long in the memory.
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Ronaldo's career has gone side-by-side with Lionel Messi, with the two sharing the stage for 15 years and pushing one another to achieve greatness.
As per Ferdinand, Ronaldo made a messi jibe while he was naked and looking at himself in the mirror.
"Rio Ferdinand would tell us stories about how Cristiano Ronaldo would stand in front of the mirror naked, running his hand through his hair, and say, 'Wow. I'm so beautiful!' Crouch told The Daily Mail.
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"The other United players would try to wind him up. 'Whatever. Leo Messi is a better player than you.'
"And he would shrug his shoulders and smile again. 'Ah yes. But Messi does not look like this..."
As we mentioned earlier, Rooney said that his ex teammate always had a vain side and would still admire himself even if a game was approaching.
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"In the time I've been playing with Ronnie, the one thing I've noticed about him is that he can't walk past his reflection without admiring it, even if we're about to play a game of football." he said in an interview with GOAL.
"Every match, before the team goes out for the warm-up, he runs through the same routine. The kit goes on, the boots go on. Not long after, Ronnie turns to his reflection and stares, psyching himself up for the game.
"If there's one person with a bigger self-belief than Ronaldo, I haven't met him yet. He's not shy."
You might be right there, Wayne, he's definitely not shy.
Featured Image Credit: Image: Cristiano Ronaldo & AlamyTopics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Lionel Messi