Where are they now? Cristiano Ronaldo’s 11 favourite teammates from his career
Former Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus stars are among Cristiano Ronaldo’s favourite teammates, but where are all of those players today?
During an interview with Goal Arabia in 2023, Ronaldo named his 11 favourite teammates from his illustrious career.
We’ve revisited the 11 teammates that Ronaldo named and have checked out what they are all up to these days.
Iker Casillas
After enjoying his peak years with Real Madrid, Casillas played out the final years of his career with Porto before hanging up his gloves in 2020.
Since retiring, the legendary goalkeeper has been involved in multiple projects and he currently works as the Deputy Director of the Real Madrid Foundation which helps marginalized children through sport.
Sergio Ramos
Given Ronaldo enjoyed his peak years playing alongside Ramos, it’s no surprise that the Portuguese icon named the former Real Madrid defender as one of his favourite teammates.
During the summer, Ramos was linked with a move to Al-Nassr which would’ve seen him rekindle his relationship with Ronaldo, but the move ultimately didn’t materialise.
Since being let go by Sevilla at the end of 2023-24, the 38-year-old has been without a club and is still waiting for the right opportunity to come along.
Rio Ferdinand
Since retiring, Ferdinand has pursued a career in punditry and he makes it no secret that he’s still regularly in contact with CR7.
The pair sat down for an interview in September last year and enjoyed reminiscing about their time together at Old Trafford back in the day.
Giorgio Chiellini
“Well, Ronaldo, when you are losing, he had the balls, no matter what, to try to win. Shoot from everywhere in order to lead the team to win. And it is not easy to do for a lot of players,” Chiellini told The Overlap when discussing Ronaldo.
CR7 clearly enjoyed playing alongside the Italian defender as he named him ahead of the likes of Pepe, Nemanja Vidic and Raphael Varane when naming his favourite XI of teammates.
The Italian defender called it quits on his playing career in 2023 and he’s since become the Head of Football Institutional Relations at Juventus.
Marcelo
“More than a team-mate, a brother that football gave me,” is what Ronaldo said upon Marcelo’s departure from Real Madrid.
Since leaving the Spanish giants, the Brazilian’s career hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing. He initially joined Olympiacos but only lasted five months in Greece before his contract was terminated.
He then returned to Fluminense and won three trophies during his second stint with the club before he found himself in hot water once again.
Following a bust-up with Fluminense head coach Mano Menezes, Marcelo had his contract terminated back in November and he’s been a free agent ever since.
Paul Scholes
Scholes played 183 games alongside Ronaldo and the pair still speak fondly about one another to this day.
Since retiring in 2013, the former Manchester United midfielder has become a prominent pundit alongside being the head of recruitment and co-owner of Salford City.
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Luka Modric
Considering he’s only a few months younger than Ronaldo, it’s astonishing that Modric is still playing at the highest level today.
While the 39-year-old is no longer a guaranteed starter at Real Madrid, he’s still racked up 28 appearances across all competitions this season.
Having made 563 appearances for Madrid, the Croatian maestro now ranks among the top 10 appearance-makers in the club’s history.
Toni Kroos
While someone like Ronaldo will probably continue playing well into his forties, Kroos decided to bow out while still at the peak of his powers.
“(Thanks) for everything, Toni! What an honour to share the pitch with you. All the best for the future!” Ronaldo said when Kroos announced his shock retirement.
Since hanging up his boots, the 35-year-old has been pouring his full efforts into the Toni Kroos Academy that he runs alongside his brother Felix.
Gareth Bale
The Welshman played 157 games alongside Ronaldo and won 11 trophies during that time.
While CR7 seems determined to prolong his career for as long as possible, Bale bowed out of the professional game after the 2022 World Cup, aged 33.
He’s taken up a few punditry roles since hanging up his boots but has otherwise kept a relatively low profile.
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Karim Benzema
Given he assisted Ronaldo on 47 occasions, it’s no wonder that CR7 named the Frenchman as one of his favourite teammates.
Like Ronaldo, Benzema also plays in the Saudi Pro League and he ranks among the highest-earning players in world football.
After a fairly lacklustre debut season with Al-Ittihad, Benzema has looked much sharper in 2024-25 as he’s scored 12 goals in 13 appearances as of writing.
Wayne Rooney
While Rooney and Ronaldo have fired the odd jibe at one another over the years, there’s no denying just how good they were together at Manchester United.
Despite being the same age as Ronaldo, Rooney has been retired since 2021 and he’s since ventured into management.
The 39-year-old was most recently at Plymouth Argyle, although he was axed from his role at Home Park following a dismal run of form that left Plymouth rock bottom of the Championship.
Whether or not he decides to return to management remains to be seen.