Tuesday, 18th March, 2014
Real Madrid forward Jese Rodriguez has revealed that he has learnt a lot from Cristiano Ronaldo and admitted that his rise to the first team was not an easy one.
The 21-year-old Spaniard has hailed the role the Ballon d’Or winner has played in his development as a player at Santiago Bernabeu.
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“You learn a lot from Cristiano every day”, Jese told UEFA’s site.
“It's clear to me especially and to all my team-mates that he is the best. He deserves all the awards there are, he's a great professional.
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“The thing that has most impressed me is the ambition he shows every day.”
Jese joined Real Madrid as a 14-year-old and moved through the ranks at the club’s youth system, before he was called up to the senior team by Jose Mourinho in December 2011.
After making his La Liga debut in March 2012, the young forward has become a regular this season with 30 appearances and eight goals in all competitions so far, and the player believes that it has been a huge transition for him.
“It's been a gigantic step, because you come from the third level up into the first”, he said.
“So the steps you take get bigger and bigger, and then you start playing with world-class players, different kinds of players.
“There are really a lot of fantastic players at Real Madrid and you have to compete with them. You experience Champions League matches in a totally different way to league or cup games.”
Jese is also in line for a spot in Spain’s World Cup squad for Brazil this summer, as boss Vicente del Bosque is impressed with the youngster’s abilities.
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