Cristiano Ronaldo’s former teammate Nicky Butt has given a fascinating glimpse of the Portugal talisman away from the spotlight. Butt insisted that the Portugal captain is far warmer than his guarded public persona suggests. Notably, the ex-England midfielder shared a dressing room with the forward who was in the early years of his glittering career at Old Trafford.
The 41-year-old has carried the burden of being one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet for two decades. Ronaldo recently became the first man to score in six different World Cup editions, scoring twice in Portugal’s emphatic dismantling of Uzbekistan 5-0 at the 2026 finals.
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Cristiano Ronaldo has a global superstar status that Butt believes colors how others deal with him. The Manchester United legend told Paddy Power about the human side of the superstar that fans rarely get to see themselves (via GOAL):
“He’s actually a very likeable lad, Cristiano. He’s a top lad, he’s a funny lad, he gets involved with all the banter. He’s obviously a mega superstar, a billionaire, but he is actually a good lad to have a chat with. It becomes other people’s problem, they’re a bit standoffish from him because they’re in awe of him.”
Cristiano Ronaldo has since come a long way from those days of his youth at Old Trafford. He has played for Real Madrid, winning the UEFA Champions League in regular fashion, before joining Juventus and eventually returning to Manchester United. His second spell at the club ended on a sour note, as his contract ended by mutual agreement in November 2022.
Nicky Butt compares Cristiano Ronaldo’s energy management to Messi’s
Butt was also keen to address one of Cristiano Ronaldo’s most persistent criticisms in his later years: his perceived lack of defensive running. The Portuguese has been accused of standing idle when matches drift away from his side, a charge that has followed him to Saudi Arabia, where he plays for Al-Nassr.
The former United man, however, framed Ronaldo’s economy of movement as a deliberate strategy rather than indifference. He pointed to the legendary striker’s eternal rival, Lionel Messi, as evidence that elite forwards learn to ration their physical output as the years advance. In the same interview, Butt said:
“He’s present, he’s a very, very good team player. He might not look like that on a pitch, he can look like he’s just standing around. But Lionel Messi’s the same, they’ve got to a certain level and age and they’re not just running around, they’re saving their energy for scoring goals.”
It is a calculated approach that has hardly dulled the Portugal legend’s output, as the forward plundered 28 goals across the recently concluded Saudi Pro League campaign. He has also guided Al-Nassr to their first league title since 2019.
Edited by Nnanna Mba