Cristiano Ronaldo has always been known for his extraordinary attention to detail, but a former Juventus teammate has revealed a story that takes his perfectionism to another level.
Gianluca Frabotta, who played under Maurizio Sarri during the 2019-20 season, described one training ground incident that perfectly captured the Portuguese star’s unorthodox approach to the game.
Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Frabotta recalled a day when Sarri tried to give Ronaldo tactical instructions during a session focused on set pieces.
For most players, such feedback would be routine. For Ronaldo, it was unnecessary. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, renowned for his ability to anticipate the flow of play, didn’t take kindly to being told where to stand.
“He didn’t need instructions; he was different,” Frabotta said. “He could feel where the ball was going to end up.”
To emphasize his point, Ronaldo reportedly bent down, tore out a handful of grass from the training pitch, smelled it, and then chewed it. When Sarri looked on in disbelief, Ronaldo explained, “I like to understand the pitch and where the ball goes.”
It was a moment that left teammates speechless and highlighted a side of Ronaldo that few see, a player whose sense of the game borders on instinctive obsession. The act may have seemed bizarre, but to those who have played alongside him, it perfectly represented his relentless drive to connect with every element of football.
The uneasy partnership between Ronaldo and Sarri
Maurizio Sarri‘s lone campaign at Juventus was memorable not only for the Serie A title the team captured but also for the tension that existed between the coach’s tactical system and Ronaldo‘s arrogance. Sarri was hired to modernize Juve‘s playing style after Massimiliano Allegri‘s departure, but guiding a global superstar with his own footballing philosophy proved challenging.
“Managing Ronaldo is not simple,” Sarri admitted in a later interview with Sport Italia. “He is a multinational company; his personal interests must coincide with football.”
While Sarri openly praised Ronaldo‘s professionalism, their working relationship was often described as uneasy. The manager’s insistence on positional structure clashed with Ronaldo‘s preference for creative freedom and instinct-driven movement. Yet, despite the philosophical divide, the results on the field spoke for themselves.
That season, Ronaldo produced one of the most dominant campaigns of his Italian tenure, scoring 37 goals in 46 appearances across all competitions.
Juventus lifted their ninth consecutive Serie A trophy, but the early Champions League exit to Lyon proved costly. Sarri was dismissed within days of the defeat, ending a partnership that had never quite clicked despite its success.
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