GOAT mindset? How Cristiano Ronaldo carries two distinct sides away from the public eye

Cristiano Ronaldo has two very different sides. A former team-mate has revealed what he is like when the cameras stop rolling.

Alvaro Gonzalez played alongside Ronaldo at Al-Nassr during the 2022-23 campaign. Speaking to Radio MARCA, the ex-centre-back lifted the lid on the man behind the goals.

The answer depends on which Ronaldo you catch.

Gonzalez speaks out on the two sides of Cristiano Ronaldo

Inside the dressing room, Gonzalez says, Ronaldo is not the intense superstar the world expects.

"Honestly, and after confirming it with other team-mates we've had in common, he's absolutely fantastic inside the dressing room," Gonzalez said. "Inside the dressing room, he's a completely normal person, approachable and someone who helps you."

The moment he steps through the tunnel, though, everything changes.

"From the moment he leaves the dressing room and steps onto the pitch, he completely changes. He's a competitive beast," Gonzalez added.

"Afterwards, we'd go to the jacuzzi, have some laughs and joke around, and it would all be forgotten. People like him and [Lionel] Messi will go down in the history of football."

It is the same switch that has defined Ronaldo's two decades at the top. The ability to flip from relaxed team-mate to ruthless competitor in an instant.

The 41-year-old remains one of the best finishers in the world, having guided Al-Nassr to the Saudi Pro League title last season.

CR7 has recently hinted that this could probably be his last season as a professional football player.

That competitive edge is still pointed at history. Ronaldo, contracted to Al-Nassr until June 2027, is chasing 1,000 career goals, with 978 in 1,333 appearances for club and country.

The milestone hunt adds a new layer to every game, yet the man in the dressing room apparently stays the same.

His current boss shares the admiration. Ange Postecoglou has said being a small part of Ronaldo's story was part of the attraction of taking the Al-Nassr job.

"You find yourself thinking: I could become a small part of his story too," he said.

Two sides, one player, and a legacy already secure either way.