Jose Fonte was 13 when Cristiano Ronaldo first walked through the dressing-room door at Sporting Lisbon and it was soon evident that someone special had arrived. “I just remember him doing push-ups in the shower,” says Fonte, smiling.
“He would say to everyone, ‘I will do more push-ups than you in the shower after training’. And he would. He would do more than everyone. It showed how competitive he is. He was so far ahead of everyone.”
With perhaps one obvious exception, not much has changed. Fonte would happily admit that his near 20-year friendship makes him a slightly biased witness but he still thinks Ronaldo remains far ahead of everyone, including even Lionel Messi.
“I love Messi but Ronaldo is Ronaldo,” he says. “He was only young and I saw him millions of times in the gym, after training, when everyone else had gone home trying to get stronger, trying to be quicker. His work ethic and desire to be the best is unmatchable.”
Fonte is again expected to start on Thursday against Poland for a Portugal team that is aiming for their fourth European Championship semi-final since 2000 but, as ever, the focus will largely settle on one man.
For the sixth year in succession, Ronaldo has just finished a season with more than 50 goals. He also scored the winning penalty to secure a third Champions League title and, while Fonte might simply see a team-mate he has known since their teenage years, the reminders of his elevation to global icon are constant.
Even during our interview, Fonte is approached not for an autograph himself but for someone wanting him to get a ball signed by Ronaldo for a charity.
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