On this day in 2019, Patrice Evra shared the WhatsApp messages he and Cristiano Ronaldo sent to one another before that Champions League game against Atletico Madrid - and it shows the scary levels of confidence he has.
Three weeks after Atletico claimed a huge 2-0 victory over Serie A champions Juve in the first leg, Ronaldo got his sweet revenge by scoring a hat-trick against Diego Simeone's side, with Juventus eventually winning the two-legged tie 3-2 on the night.
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He later called it a "magical night" after his side overturned the two-goal deficit. "It was always going to be a special night - and it was, not only for the goals, but for the team," Ronaldo told the club's official website. "This is the mentality of champions, this is the journey to follow."
It's funny how Ronaldo mentions mentality in his post-match comments that day. Before kick-off, he told friends and family that he would score a hat-trick against the La Liga side. In fact, just days later, former teammate Patrice Evra posted a screenshot of a chat he had with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
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In the WhatsApp messages, Ronaldo's optimism is clear.
"These are messages between me and @cristiano, five days before the massive comeback. This just shows you the confidence, the anger, the determination from the best player in the world."
It's just another example of Ronaldo's elite mentality and him being the man for the big occasions.
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Back in 2019, SciSports teamed up with research university KU Leuven to study how much stress is a factor in key moments in football games. They collected data from 7,000 minutes, analysing how performance levels are affected by in-game pressure and unsurprisingly, Ronaldo comes out on top.
The Juventus forward is 'immune' to pressure, with his performance levels remaining the same in 'every scenario possible.'
Featured Image Credit: PA/Patrice Evra - InstagramTopics: Football, Atletico Madrid, Patrice Evra, Juventus, Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo
