Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence at Old Trafford in his second spell had an impact on one Manchester United star and transformed his mindset ahead of matches.
The 39-year-old Portuguese superstar made his blockbuster return to Manchester United in 2021 after he was signed from Serie A side Juventus.
Cristiano Ronaldo had an impact in his first season back at the club, with the United legend scoring an impressive 24 times in 38 appearances across all competitions.
Despite the Portugal captain’s impressive returns in the 2021-22 season, United saw club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked from his post during the campaign.
Erik ten Hag replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as United boss and Ronaldo was left frustrated as his playing time was reduced under the Dutchman.
Ronaldo ruthlessly took aim at Erik ten Hag – among many others issues – during a bombshell interview with TV broadcaster Piers Morgan in 2022.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s second spell at the Red Devils ended in November 2022 after his contract with United was terminated by mutual agreement.
Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia and completed a free transfer to Al Nassr, with the United legend signing a lucrative deal with the Saudi Pro League side.
Ronaldo’s impact on Man Utd star
Despite his soured relationship with Erik ten Hag, Cristiano Ronaldo was praised for his professionalism by former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ronaldo’s presence at Old Trafford appeared to have a knock-on effect on Diogo Dalot, who has had an impressive season under United boss Ten Hag.
Diogo Dalot has been one of United’s most consistent players amid the club’s lacklustre season, with the Portugal full-back becoming a key first-team player.
Speaking to Manchester United’s official website, the 25-year-old Portuguese defender revealed the dramatic shift in his mentality due to Ronaldo.
Dalot admitted that he has established a “routine” and has been working on areas such as “recovery” and “nutrition” in a bid to prepare himself for matches.
“I had the life experience to work with someone [Ronaldo] who was completely obsessed about it,” he said.
“By being with him so much of the time, that passed on to me. Now it’s just something that’s just part of me.
“I think I created this routine where I have to take some time every single day to recover, to work on my mental part as well, my physical part. It’s all a routine now.
“It’s just trying to work on recovery, nutrition, all kinds of stuff that will make my body feel ready to play.
“Ultimately, our bodies are our tools; they’re what we use to play football. I try to recover as fast as we can when the games are coming really fast.
“Mentally, obviously, it’s been a tough season. And when things are not going well, at this club, everything is bigger.
“Whether you’re winning or losing, everything is bigger, so you need to be really, really prepared mentally, to take all this pressure. To try to come to Carrington every single day to match the standards of the club, which are really high.”
Dalot on his Man Utd season
Despite United’s overall disappointing season, Dalot felt that he has improved on an individual front and believes he has been “more consistent” in the current campaign.
“Individually, I think I’ve been showing this season that I was much more consistent than I was in previous ones,” he said.
“So that was my main focus for this year: to try to be more consistent every game. To keep my individual performances at the same, certain level all the time.
“Obviously it is difficult to be always playing well and very well, but I think I’ve been pretty consistent, which makes me happy.”