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March 16, 2026
Without starting off on too much of a cliche, there's a common phrase in football: hard work beats talent. Ronaldo is arguably the embodiment of this quote. There’s no denying that Ronaldo has an incredible gift, but it is his work ethic and dedication to the sport that make him one of the greatest of all time. It is impossible to have one and not the other...
We’ve seen how mentality can play such a vital role in the game; it can be the difference between winning a trophy and not. It can mean that your career-defining moment is an error that goes viral, rather than the years of good work that go before it. In football, nothing is certain. However, since the mid-2000s, when CR7 first burst onto the scene, any team that had him was guaranteed to score goals. Over this period, he played with some of the greatest players on the planet, and while Cristiano makes no secret about who he thinks is the best player of all time, there's greater debate surrounding some of the top talents he played alongside. Today, our focus is on his Man United team-mate and England legend Wayne Rooney.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Rooney's interview
In any elite competition, it is those with a bulletproof mentality who usually find themselves competing at the top. We’ve seen it in sports, professional video gaming, casino gaming, and in professional tournaments like poker. The rise of online markets has enabled players to test themselves against some of the best players on the planet.
Playing poker online in Australia is an activity that has fueled the growth of the casino gaming market more generally Down Under, but the real strength of the market isn’t just from the appeal in Australia, but the quality of the Australian players who are able to compete online against the world’s best.
Those who can prove themselves as standout players in the world are often those with the strongest mentality. From a football perspective, this is why Ronaldo, Messi, and other icons of their era, such as Modric, Benzema, and Wayne Rooney, all stand out.
As you can see in the link below, those who have the mentality to push themselves far out of their comfort zone for the purposes of entertainment can often provide some of the most edge-of-the-seat moments in entertainment. It takes a special type of mentality. Only a few possess it.
When Cristiano and Rooney first linked up at Man Utd, they were two players of a similar age, both of whom had shown incredible ability from a young age. Many believe the 2007/08 season is Cristiano’s best ever year. He won the Premier League Golden Boot, the EPL, the UEFA Champions League, and the Ballon d’Or - a clean sweep.
We’re not going out on a limb too much by saying that in the early days of their career, there wasn’t too much to separate Cristiano and Wayne. After coming through the ranks at Everton, within 18 months he was setting the world on fire at Euro 2004, with many still believing he would’ve single-handedly won the tournament for England if he hadn't been injured.
When he moved from his boyhood club to Utd, he scored a hat-trick in his Champions League debut at the age of 18, becoming Utd’s all-time leading goalscorer and England's, until the record was broken recently by Harry Kane.
However, in his early days at Everton and at various stages of his career, Rooney was marred by press scandals, alcohol use, and a chaotic lifestyle for someone of his ability.
He got away with it in his twenties, but by the time he hit 30, he was no longer an elite player. While he might have had a never-say-die mentality, he did not have the drive in training and off the pitch that Cristiano did – and this is why one is one of the greatest players of all time, rather than simply one of the greatest players of his generation.
Wayne Rooney could still be playing at the elite level if he had looked after himself and had the drive that CR7 did. Cristiano moved to England at a young age, learned the language, and, according to his old teammates Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, and even Rooney himself, Cristiano was the first in the training ground and the last one to leave. With Keane, it is positivity that goes both ways, although the friendship between Cristiano and Wayne has been rockier over the years.
He lived a clean lifestyle, devoid of alcohol and cigarettes, unlike Rooney, and it is this mentality that has ultimately paid dividends, with Ronaldo still playing for Portugal in his 40s.
However, when Rooney first came through, he was unbelievable. His goal against Arsenal at the age of 16 from 25 yards out is still one of the most iconic EPL moments. His ability to glide around players, read the game, and cut through opponents was arguably just as good as CR7 – even for a season or two.
Even between these two legends, both with an elite winning mentality, it shows that Cristiano reached another level, even amongst his highly successful peers, underscoring exactly why we’re unlikely to see a player of his ilk again for a very long time.
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Portugal is on March 29, against Mexico, for the Friendly International. You can watch Mexico vs Portugal, Manchester City vs Real Madrid, Brentford vs Wolverhampton, Chelsea vs PSG, Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting vs Bodo, all matches provided from our soccer streaming game pages.
Portugal next game:
Mexico vs Portugal kick-off time (29-03-2026):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 10:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 07:30
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) | UTC/GMT+3: 05:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+1: 03:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+0: 02:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 23:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 22:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 18:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / sports.yahoo.com / bbc.com
