"Do you want me to run or score goals?": Aubameyang's anecdote with Ronaldo
The Chelsea striker was lucky enough to share time with the Brazilian legend, and he will never forget this
In this modern day, everything a footballer does on the pitch is observed. Long gone are the days when players could get away with shinning in one or two moments of magic that resolved a match; now, everyone is expected to run, cover ground, press and work. While that undoubtedly fits some players, it makes it very hard for others, and that was what Pierre Emerick Aubameyang was talking about when he recalled an anecdote with the Ronaldo Nazário during his days at AC Milan.
Ronaldo wasn't at his best with the Rossoneri, but he still scored 9 goals in 20 games
Undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the history of football, Ronaldo's career was marred with injuries that cut the prime of his career short. Yet, with talent pouring out of his body naturally, he was still able to contribute when he joined AC Milan on January 2007. There, under the coaching of Carlo Ancelotti, he coincide with an up-and-coming Aubameyang, who around the same time joined Milan's under 19s from SC Bastia.
Ronaldo remained as naturally gifted as ever, but at 31 and with both knees operated on, the Brazilian had to be smart about when and where he pushed his body. Having departed Real Madrid due to his bad relationship with Fabio Capello (who dropped him due to fitness issues), Ronaldo didn't forget nor forgive the Italian in his Santiago Bernabeu farewell: "I would like to thank the fans who've supported me all the time and thank all the teammates that I've had here and all the coaches I've had - except one".
Carlo Ancelotti, however, was always one of the best man managers in the business, and he was smart in allowing Ronaldo the flexibility he needed, as Aubameyang recalled recently: "'I will always remember when Carlo Ancelotti had a go at him about his fitness and Ronaldo said, 'What do you want me to do, run or score goals?' Ancelotti said, 'Score goals' and the next time Ronaldo scored twice! That is part of the character and as a striker you need that because you have to be strong mentally".
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang wasn't afforded many chances at AC Milan
Of course, with such competition for places, it would prove hard for Pierre Emerick Aubameyang to earn a spot at AC Milan. "I was just trying to improve and looking at him to learn as much as I could. I was just a young kid among all those stars, just playing and training, trying to get as much as I could and pick up all these things in my career", recalled the striker, who would leave the Rossoneri on loan to several French sides, before making his departure permanent when he joined Saint Etienne in 2012 for 1,8 million euros. However, the lessons he picked up while around AC Milan have stuck.
Continue reading: "You just have to win the games": Carlo Ancelotti defines his future
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