Marco Asensio says he admires Cristiano Ronaldo’s continued desire for success after the duo helped Real Madrid to Champions League glory.
Ronaldo scored twice in Madrid’s final victory over Juventus in Cardiff, with Asensio and Casemiro also on target as the Spanish champions won 4-1 to seal their third European title in the space of four seasons.
The Portugal international, now 32 and with four Champions Leagues to his name, continues to show the same dedication in training and with his gym work.
Asensio finds that inspirational and feels Ronaldo is an impressive leadership figure for Madrid’s other young stars.
Asked what he learned from playing alongside four-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, Asensio told Marca: ‘So much.
‘What I admire about him is the ambition he has after having won so many things on a collective and individual basis.
‘The hunger he still has, the way he trained and that he stays in the gym once we have finished.
‘He always wants more and that affects the rest of the team. In every training session, you learn from him.’
Asensio has reportedly agreed a new Madrid contract until 2023, having impressed in his first season at the club following loan spells with Mallorca and Espanyol in the preceding two campaigns.
But he has been warned by teammate Sergio Ramos not to expect the club’s historic run of success to continue indefinitely as Zinedine Zidane’s side set their sights on a 13th continental crown.
‘I spoke about that [the ‘Decimotercera’] with Sergio Ramos and he told me not to get used to this because it is very difficult,’ Asensio said.
‘It took him a long time to win his first Champions League and many club legends have never won it. I was lucky enough to do so in my first year.
‘[Being at Real Madrid] is something different and very big. Everything is magnified, but once you are inside it is all very familiar.
‘It is a shock at first, but you get used to it. Real Madrid demands the maximum. You have to win and please.
‘To see myself with the Champions League trophy at such a young age was an incredible and tremendous feeling.’
— This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za
