"I cannot help caressing the ball or enjoying juggling.
"I used to do it when I played in the street, I kept on doing it all throughout my training and I still do it now. And I will keep on doing it.
"This is the real Ronaldo. I believe that when people see me on the pitch playing with the ball before the beginning of the warm-up, they may be tempted to think that this is nothing but a charm offensive or showing off.
"If this is what you think then you are wrong, because I do it naturally. Before matches, both for the club and when I play for Portugal, I always have the same routine.
"In the dressing room I start to juggle with the ball. We leave to warm-up and while waiting for the physical exercises to start I keep on practising my skills.
"I take the ball, I pass it under one foot, and then the other, I pick it up, bounce it, in short, I amuse myself with the ball.
"I do it just for pleasure, but there is also another reason - to put an end to any tension before the match.
"This is the way I have of motivating myself, of relieving the pressure of the match, of calming down, of preoccupying myself."