Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli hailed football star Cristiano Ronaldo mental strength and said it inspires him every time. Kohli, who has expressed his admiration for Ronaldo in the past, also recalled the Juventus forward's epic hat-trick in the 2018/19 Champions League match against Atletico Madrid.
In the famous clash between Juventus and Atletico Madrid, the Spanish giants were 2-0 up after the first leg and Ronaldo turned the things around in the second tie in Turin. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored an astonishing hat-trick as Juventus knocked out Atletico 3-2 on aggregate from the UCL 2018/19.
In an Instagram Live Chat with India football captain Sunil Chhetri, Kohli revealed he is amazed by Ronaldo's beast mentality.
During the conversation, Chhetri asked Kohli to name a sportsperson he idolises outside cricket to which the batting legend replied: “Cristiano Ronaldo. There are many great athletes. There are so many people you look up to, who are amazing, but for a guy to turn up for big games that regularly... The thing that stood out was, he joined Juventus (and) I remember it was a UEFA Champions League match between Juventus and Atletico Madrid match. They lost 2-0 in the first leg. The second leg they were playing at home. For a guy to say two days prior to the game, to tell his friends that come for the game (because) it is going to be a special night."
Kohli said in the sporting world there are very few players who have that kind of mentality.
“That conviction for a guy to say that we are going to go through and score a hat-trick. That for me is a beast mentality. In the world of sport, there are very few people who can claim to have that kind of a mentality. That mental strength for me is inspiring every time.”
The India football captain also talked about the incident when the team doctor of the national team asked him why can't India produce a player like Ronaldo? Chhetri reveals he can never forget the doctor's research on Ronaldo's fitness and training regime.
“I remember our team doctor in the national team, Dr Sandeep. One day we were watching football and he very naively asked me why can't we produce a player like Cristiano Ronaldo. I told him that their level is completely different from ours. So the next day he told me that okay we cannot produce a player like Ronaldo but we can at least follow what he eats, how he trains, the effort he puts in." Chhetri said
“So he researched on Ronaldo’s regime and gave us the blueprint of how he trains, what he eats. I can never forget that,” he added.
