Cristiano Ronaldo's First Senior Coach Claims He Predicted Him To Become Like Eusebio
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers to ever live. The Portuguese burst onto the scene as a promising teenage talent for Sporting CP.
He made his senior debut under Romanian coach Laszlo Boloni and had a short yet effective stint before leaving the club for Manchester United.
Boloni has now claimed that a young Ronaldo was matured beyond his age and he always knew that he'd reach the levels of Figo or Eusebio.
Jardel e Cristiano Ronaldo no Sporting de Portugal. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/7uPgpMVEMF
— Futebol Nostálgico! (@futnostalgico) January 31, 2025
In an interview with Portuguese outlet Lusa, Boloni said:
He was a very mature player. It was a surprise to me that he was able to do the exercises like the more experienced players. He stopped being young and his behaviour was that of a mature player. His maturity was, for me, the big surprise. When he first arrived and we went out to train, that was the moment when I decided that I would stop training with the youngsters and stay in the main squad forever.Laszlo Boloni
Further speaking about what he thought of Ronaldo's potential, Boloni said:
When I saw him, it wasn’t difficult to make plans for him. No one thought he would go this far, but after about a month working with him, I thought he would at least be at the level of Figo or Eusébio, who were the two greats in Portugal. I couldn’t say he would win practically everything in football, but I already knew he would go far.Laszlo Boloni
Apart from Sporting CP, Cristiano Ronaldo has also played for clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Al-Nassr. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has left an everlasting impact on each club he has represented.
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Apratim is an experienced sports journalist having covered European and World Football, Combat Sports, Olympic Sports, and more for online media publications like Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. He is currently an MSc. in Sport Marketing student at Loughborough University, London.