Ronaldo on Athletes: I Admire LeBron James; We’re Peers But I Have More Hair Than Him

In the second part of Piers Morgan’s exclusive interview with Cristiano Ronaldo, the conversation turned to Ronaldo’s physical fitness management and his "idols" in the sports world—

Talk to me about your physical fitness management.

I look good.

Yes, you do. Look at my beer belly—let’s not talk about it… Do you mind if I tap your (abs)? Oh, it’s really different from my beer belly. They say your body is like that of a 28-year-old. How do you feel about that? Do you think you don’t look or feel 40?

No, I don’t. Physically, I really look much younger than my actual age because I’ve been going to the gym since I was 12.

Do you go to the gym every day?

Not every day, but I just try to be consistent as much as possible.

So what do you do every day?

I sleep well, recover well, and maintain a good daily routine. Working out in the gym twice a week for strength is enough—you know, it’s all for football.

As long as you can keep it up, it’s great, it’s simple, trust me.

In modern sports, which athlete inspires you?

Athlete? I’m inspired by myself.

No, I mean, what kind of good athletes do you admire?

I’ve seen many great examples. For instance, in basketball—LeBron James. We’re peers.

I met him one day; he’s a really good guy.

I have more hair than him.

You really do. He’s been learning golf, but he’s not very good at it. I think now is the perfect time for you to play golf with him.

But I think he’s amazing because he’s still playing professional basketball and keeping his body in great shape. Others, like Luka Modrić, also look fantastic.

And Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic played in Saudi Arabia. Yesterday he said you’re one of his role models—he mentioned your name because you’re one of the people who inspire him to keep playing until he’s 40. That sounds pretty good, considering he’s a top tennis star.

I think it’s always nice to hear your name mentioned by top athletes from other sports.