Khedira: Ronaldo was a bit more insecure and selfish when I first met him

Sami Khedira has discussed how Cristiano Ronaldo changed from the moment the two players met at Real Madrid until they rejoined forces at Juventus years later.

The former German international recalled that the current Manchester United forward would show everyone a different version of himself on and off the pitch.

"I met two Cristianos," Khedira told EPSN.

"The first was at Real Madrid. He was a bit young, a bit more insecure and selfish, too. Not selfish in a bad way, just in the way young strikers are. He had to find his personality.

"And then the second Cristiano, after he moved to Juventus, he was much more of a leader. Still driven by ego and selfishness to score, but more about pushing his teammates, helping them be better. Off the pitch he was much more relaxed and much more mature, but on the pitch, always focused and just as intense.

"We saw it on the first day, taking shots on goal. He was so competitive, whether it was that or playing 4-on-4. He'd want to bet on it, say 100 Euros or a bottle of wine. He's a competitor and if he loses, he gets angry. So nobody wants to let him down."

Changing style to favour stars

Khedira went on to acknowledge that coaches whose teams boast players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Neymar may be forced to change their styles of play to accommodate their stars.

"I'm going to be honest, if you have Cristiano or Messi or Neymar [on your team], most of the time you defend with 10 men because they need some time to rest and they are not defenders," Khedira added.

"[Jose] Mourinho did this, and [Carlo] Ancelotti did this too. You have to give Ronaldo the ball in the box, you have to transmit the idea that I will fight for [Cristiano], I will run for him, I will do everything for him. Because at the end, he probably will score the winning goal and get you the three points. That's the compromise that you have with Cristiano."

Playing against Guardiola's Barcelona

Khedira also admitted that Pep Guardiola's Barcelona were the best opponents he has ever faced. He named Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez as two players who deserved the Ballon d'Or and explained how Real Madrid tried to contain them.

"Even as a Madridista, I can say that this [Barcelona team] of 2010 was maybe the best team I have ever seen," he noted.

"The best opponents I had were Xavi and Iniesta and unfortunately they never won the Ballon d'Or. That's a shame. Those or [Sergio] Busquets... these three players never lost the ball. You can't get the ball, but then you have to find solutions. So, we were like: 'We need to anticipate'.

"So, if they pass the ball just read the game and then you got the ball. And if you get the ball, then they are not organised, because Dani Alves and Eric Abidal were forwards too. So, if you get the ball, you immediately attack. And we did that. We played 10 or 12 Clasicos and we lost two. And all the others we drew or we won."