Real Madrid team-mate Nacho can't stop gushing over Cristiano Ronaldo | OneFootball

Nacho’s story is a beautiful one, as he gambled on himself and stayed with Real Madrid despite looking like he would never play for the Los Blancos, yet now he is a four-time European champion and very well may start for Spain in Russia.

Ahead of Spain’s opener against Portugal, Nacho sat down with MARCA for an interview that included the Real Madrid back answering questions about his team-mate and World Cup opponent Cristiano Ronaldo.

Q. You start against Ronaldo and Portugal, how does it feel?

A. It’s not a bad start! We start against the best player. And a national team that are European champions, with very capable players as well as Cristiano. He will make us play very well and very focused.

Q. Is it as demanding as it seems?

A. He’s a worker, he’s got to where he is now by working day by day. He trains as much at home as at the training ground.

Q. What is Cristiano like after defeat?

A. He’s the ultimate competitor, a born winner, like the club he’s at. Defeat hurts us all, him even more so.

Q. How do you stop him?

A. It’s better to have him on your side. Coaching against him is not the same as for a game, but it’s not enough to see it’s better to have him on your team. All of the defence have to be very focused against this kind of player. Cristiano doesn’t play in just one position up-front either, he moves in a number of areas. The concentration has to be maximum.