Mention the name "Cristiano Ronaldo", and someone in the room will probably know who he is. Not only is he one of the best players to have graced the game, but he is also the most followed person on Instagram with 244 million followers. Not bad.

He has won five Ballon d'Or awards — given to the best player in the world every year. Only Lionel Messi has more (six). He has also won a remarkable 31 trophies in his career, consisting of multiple domestic and Champions League titles. He is also close to becoming the highest scorer of official goals in history. He is 35 — old for a football player — yet is still one of the best goalscorers in Europe.

Ronaldo is one of the most consistent people — not just sports — on the planet. His career is entering its final stages, but he shows no signs of stopping. He is more committed than most, so uncovering what makes him tick is a worthwhile venture. Let's dive in.

Absolute Devotion to the One Thing You Can Control

In 2018, Ronaldo joined Juventus from Real Madrid for €112 million — unheard of for someone of his age. His medical results showed he has the biological age of a 23-year-old, despite being 33 at the time of the medical. Ronaldo has complete devotion to the one thing he can control — his body.

There have been multiple stories from teammates over the years, but this one from ex-Manchester United team-mate Patrice Evra springs to mind. In an ITV podcast, he tells of Ronaldo's utter dedication to being the best:

"I would give advice to anybody, when Cristiano invites you for lunch at his house, just say no. He said: 'Patrice, come over after training'. I went [and] you know I was really tired. At the table, there was only salad and plain white chicken so I was like 'okay…', and water, not any juice. We started eating and I was thinking some big meat would be coming after that but there was nothing. He had just finished and he stood up and he started playing with a ball, doing some skills and he said: 'Let's do some two touch'.

"I was like 'can I just finish eating?' [Ronaldo replied] 'No, no let's play two-touch'. "We start playing two touch. After that he said let's go to the pool to swim, I was like 'okay…' after going in the jacuzzi, the sauna, I'm done. I said: 'Cristiano why have we come here, have we come here because we have a game tomorrow, or just for lunch?'.

"So that's why I would recommend to anyone when Cristiano invite you to his house, don't go. Just say no because this guy, he's a machine, he doesn't want to stop training."

When you're earning hundreds of thousands a week, you could be forgiven for thinking you've made it and slacking off. However, he understands that his body is his most important tool. If he didn't have the relentless drive to keep training, he wouldn't still be at the top of his game.

If you want to see consistent results as Ronaldo has, identify your most essential tool. Is it high-level corporate decision-making, or focusing on creating top-quality content for your thousands of readers? Only you can control how you prepare yourself.

Leaving a legacy is all about consistency. Of course, it's easier for Ronaldo to keep his body in prime condition when you have access to the facilities he does, but the mindset is free.

Let's say you're a marketing executive and need to nail a pitch meeting. You can devote yourself to exuding confidence by practicing self-assurance. If you are second-guessing your choice of coffee in the morning or the boxers you're wearing, then the self-doubt can come creeping in when it matters most.

Ronaldo keeps his body as a temple so he can keep breaking records every other week. He is rarely ever injured — a testament to his career's longevity. He amplifies all aspects of his life to ensure he is at peak physical condition 24/7. He doesn't drink, eats plain but extremely nutritious meals, and trains more than anyone else. It's a level of devotion that can feel somewhat alien, which is why he gets the headlines he does. Even so, it highlights how high you need to set the bar.

Seek a Desire to Improve Even When You're the Best

Ronaldo has been proclaimed the best player in the world five times — the first of those coming in 2008. Looking back, ex-teammate Carlos Tevez remarked at his unbelievable dedication to improve his talents:

"If you got there at half seven, he was there. I said to myself, 'How do you catch this guy out?' So I got there one day at half six and he was there. He was half asleep but he was there."

That was in 2009. In 2020, AS Football claimed he showed up to Juventus training four hours early for individual work. Even though he has proven his status numerous times, he still puts in the extra work, day in, day out.

Of course, we all need to start somewhere. Ronaldo was once a skinny, inconsistent teenager and transformed into a ripped, world-beating athlete. That comes from an incessant need to improve not just physically, but mentally as well.

The higher levels of performance Ronaldo reaches, the more he needs to work to replicate it. The same goes for you. You're creating new problems the more successful you become, in all walks of life. If you're getting married, you're leveling up your relationship. That presents new issues. You will need to keep the spark ignited and work on becoming a family, all of which demands improvement.

Assuming is a double-edged sword. On one side, it's dangerous to assume you've reached the maximum level. It won't take long before you fall back down the ladder and will need to work even harder to get back up again.

On the other side, assuming you are mediocre will benefit you in both the short and long run. In doing so, you're cutting out entitlement. You won't be the best by assuming you're owed that title, nor will you leave a legacy if you believe you've done enough. As Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson says, always have your back up against the wall and most of all:

"Be the hardest worker in the room."

Be Unique at What You Do

Rather poignantly, Ronaldo once described his craft:

"I see football as an art and all players are artists. If you are a top artist, the last thing you would do is paint a picture somebody else has already painted."

Football has seen some great players over the years, but how many do we remember? Only a handful. When they are, the footballing world celebrates their unique talents.

Upon his recent death, montages of the great Diego Maradona popped up on social media. His exuberance with the ball was accompanied by a gleefully committed attitude to the game. He is a legend of the game because he painted his picture, just as Ronaldo is doing.

Most of us aren't just painting the same picture; we're using the same brush. In whatever it is you do, you are one of thousands, if not millions. Of course, consistent results require you to practice your craft relentlessly, but there comes a time when you need to evolve.

Sure, a writer can publish two articles a day to get their name out there, but they will be remembered for the quality of their output, not the quantity. Your remembrance factor needs to be unique; otherwise, your work will get lost, and your name forgotten.

Most Importantly, Show Up Every Single Day

As a football fan, it's hard not to admire Cristiano Ronaldo. Other players have been more talented than him, but it's his relentless drive to improve and evolve that puts him in the conversation for the greatest of all time.

It will be a sad day when he retires, but one that will be filled with idolizing. He is the living embodiment of consistent results, and while his technical situation is unrelatable to most, his principles are not. Show up every day and strive to beat yesterday. Your future self will thank you for it.

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