Ex-Juventus Teammate Admits Being Aggressive With Cristiano Ronaldo- “I Interfered Harshly in Training”

Aggression is a part of a game and soccer is no exception. The intensity of competition often pours over onto the field, where players face off in tough contests. But who would have thought that unexpected displays of hardness and hostility could emerge while practicing amongst very own teammates? Such was the case for former Juventus standout Merih Demiral, who even though was aggressive against Cristiano Ronaldo in training, CR7 ‘always spoke well’ with the defender. 

The revelation came in one of the latest interviews with Saudi Arabian media. As complied by X account @GOATTWORLD, when asked if the allegations of him being aggressive in training, especially against Ronaldo were true, he said, “Yes, there were interferences in training. Especially with [Gonzalo] Higuain and Ronaldo.” However, Demiral praised the former Old Turin attacking duo for their sportsmanship and for not taking his combative nature in practice to heart.

“I would like to thank them because they are very professional. No matter how harshly I interfered with them, they were always close to me because they were experienced. They always spoke well to me,” added Demiral. It’s good that both Higuain and Ronaldo maintained their professionalism towards their teammate and didn’t take things beyond the training ground against the Turkish international. Notably, Demiral shared the locker room with Ronaldo for two seasons from 2019-2021 as he signed for the Turin-based club a year later than the former Real Madrid man. 

Together as teammates, they won Seria A, the Italian Cup, and the Italian Super Cup with Juventus. Interestingly, soon after Ronaldo left for his second spell at Manchester United, Demiral also left for Atalanta. Coincidently, last season, he also joined the mass exodus to Saudi Arabia which was influenced by Ronaldo himself. 

How did Cristiano Ronaldo convince Merih Demiral to move to the Saudi Pro League? 

In a similar interview, Merih Demiral opened up about his 2023 summer move to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr rivals, Al Ahli Saudi. The 26-year-old insisted that it was the pep talk from the Portugal skipper that led him to come to the Middle East. “Cristiano is the one who paved the way for players to the Saudi League. I spoke to Ronaldo before my arrival. He had a great influence on me,” he said while praising Ronaldo’s impact on being the driving force in the mass exodus.

Demiral echoed his former Juventus teammate’s ambition to see the Roshn Saudi League take the No. 1 spot. “Very great football players will come and I believe that more will come. I feel lucky to be among them,” added the center back, per @GOATTWORLD. Earlier, Demiral displayed aggression against Cristiano Ronaldo on the training ground. Now, they find themselves competing against each other in the same league. Certainly, it has been quite a journey for the two.