Nani lifts lid on living with Cristiano Ronaldo during Man Utd days from early bed times to EVERYTHING being competitive
FORMER Manchester United star Nani has lifted the lid on living with Cristiano Ronaldo during their days together at Old Trafford.
The Portugal international lived with his five-time Ballon d'Or winning compatriot and fellow team-mate Anderson soon after joining the Red Devils in 2007.
And Nani, who followed the now 35-year-old in making the switch from Sporting Lisbon to Old Trafford, has revealed the pair became competitive about anything from swimming to playing tennis to general knowledge.
MAN UTD NEWS LIVE: Follow for the latest United news
He told the UTD podcast: “Anderson was in Porto for like a year so I didn’t know so much about him.
“I knew he was a great player because, as soon as he arrived at Porto, he was making a difference in the league. So I knew who he was but we were not friends at that time.
“I knew him as a player and, very fast after we met in Manchester at the same time, we became friends. We were living for a month in the same house with Cristiano. It was fun for a month.
“We’d challenge ourselves a lot. We had some great, funny moments and helped each other so much. That’s why it was not so hard for me in the beginning and for Anderson too.
Cristiano was very competitive. When you’re staying in his house for a day, it means he challenges you at any time.
Nani on Cristiano Ronaldo
“Cristiano was very competitive. When you’re staying in his house for a day, it means he challenges you at any time. He had a swimming pool, a tennis court and ping-pong table.
“Sometimes, it’s just competing to see who knows who’s telling the truth, or who is right about something. Every time, there was a discussion to see who was right or who was better."
Another of Ronaldo's ex-United team-mates, Patrice Evra, has previously joked that visiting the Juventus superstar's house for lunch was like another training session.
Nani also told how Ronaldo would go to bed incredibly early - and reaped the benefits.
He said: “The only time we were not playing was the night time, we’d sit on the sofa talking and Cristiano would just disappear [to bed]. We’d learn because me and Ando would be very tired when we woke up. He’d already been up two hours earlier, checking the news and would say: ‘Okay, let’s go’.
“He was the only one who had a car then, in the beginning, so we had to be ready to go with him. Fantastic moments and great memories we have.”
Most Read in Football
Nani enjoyed a successful spell under Sir Alex Ferguson, winning four Premier League titles and a Champions League in 2008.
The 33-year-old, now captain of Orlando City in the MLS, left United in 2015 after eight seasons.
He recently revealed that Ronaldo talked openly of leaving United for Real Madrid before his world-record £80million switch in 2009.