CR7 happy at Juve & in great shape, says lockdown training partner in Portugual

Cristiano Ronaldo is “very happy” at Juventus and in “great shape” ahead of a potential return to action, says Filipe Goncalves, a young goalkeeper at Nacional de Madeira who has been working with the Portuguese during the lockdown.

With the coronavirus pandemic having forced competitive football into a state of indefinite postponement around the world, professional sportsmen and women have had to get creative in their training regimes.

Ronaldo headed back to his homeland to be with his family before severe travel restrictions were put in place, with Juve allowing certain members of their squad to depart Italy.

They have now been recalled, with light being found at the end of a testing tunnel.

A green light has been given for Bundesliga action to resume in Germany, with the expectation being that the likes of Serie A and the Premier League will soon follow suit – with decisions having already been taken to end campaigns in France and the Netherlands.

Ronaldo is back in Turin, with the 35-year-old having made the most of the facilities in Madeira over recent weeks to ensure that he has lost not of his sharpness and fitness.

Goncalves told Tuttosport of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has been with the Bianconeri since leaving Real Madrid in 2018: "He seemed very happy with his experience in Italy, in Turin and in particular to play at Juventus.

“He told me several times that the club is very large, organised and he has huge admiration for the Juventus fans, who care so much about him.”

Goncalves helped Ronaldo to go through his paces at Madeira’s national stadium, with a global superstar being freed to get some important work in on the pitch – having already put in plenty of hours of gym work.

“The training lasted an hour,” added Goncalves.

“But Cristiano arrived at the field after having already trained at home. And after the shots on goal, he did technical exercises and shots.

“Sometimes I tried to run with him, but it is impossible to keep up with him: he is a beast!

"He is in great shape, he trained a lot in Madeira. Another partner of mine, Pedro Andrade, started working with us.

“He is not a goalkeeper, he is a player to makes the last pass or cross. He was trying to serve Cristiano a little like [Miralem] Pjanic and [Paulo] Dybala do."