Diogo Dalot has admitted that one important former Manchester United player impacted his career in a major way ahead of Portugal teammate Bruno Fernandes.
The 27-year-old Portuguese defender has become one of the longstanding Manchester United first-team players in the current Old Trafford dressing room.
Diogo Dalot has divided Manchester United fans for his role in the starting XI, despite playing an important role under the likes of Erik ten Hag and Michael Carrick.
The United defender will be heading to the World Cup this summer with Portugal teammate Bruno Fernandes after being named in Roberto Martinez’s 26-man squad.
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Forget Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot explains a defining moment involving Man Utd and Portugal icon Cristiano Ronaldo
Diogo Dalot had been loaned out to AC Milan for the 2020-21 campaign after the Manchester United star fell down the pecking order under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Portugal international returned to Old Trafford in 2021 and was left fighting for a place in the starting XI against former Man Utd teammate Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Cristiano Ronaldo made his return to the Premier League club after Man Utd signed the 41-year-old Portuguese forward from Serie A side Juventus in 2021.
Dalot admitted that Portugal teammate Ronaldo had a transformative impact on him after he was struggling for a spot under ex-United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“It was a period when I came back from loan,” he told Manchester United’s official website.
“And I didn’t play; I didn’t have any space in the team like I have now.
“And the first thing that he tells me is, ‘Diogo, I already saw you in the national team, I know who you are outside the pitch, it’s a matter of time. And I’m going to help you in training; I’m going to help you outside training. Will you come with me? We’re going to talk, we’re going to do all these things, we’re going to spend some time together and I’m sure that things will go the way that you want.’
“For him to also take a bit of time to advise me and care about me, I think that’s also made me like him even more.
“He has that influence, and definitely, since he became my teammate, my career changed drastically.”
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Diogo Dalot talks up the impact of Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the Man Utd legend’s record sixth World Cup tournament
Cristiano Ronaldo is in the Portugal squad alongside former Man Utd teammates Dalot and Bruno Fernandes for his record sixth World Cup appearance with Portugal.
Dalot explained why Ronaldo was such a massive influence on him ahead of featuring alongside the Portugal legend at the World Cup in North America.
“He was the biggest direct influence that I had in my career,” he said.
“Without any doubt. Because the moment he arrived and I became a teammate of his, my career went [up].
“And coincidence or not, it was when he arrived, because the way that his mind is shaped and the way that he works, the way that I was watching every single day.
“It made me stronger mentally, it made me stronger physically, it made me pay more attention to my body, to the way I treat people, to all the aspects of the game that you can imagine, on the pitch and outside.”
Ronaldo’s second spell with the Red Devils ended in 2022 after his contract was terminated and the United legend signed for Al Nassr on a free transfer in 2023.
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