Legendary Arsenal striker Thierry Henry once said that he would have his son study Thomas Muller, should his son take to football as a passion. It was interesting, because one would think that he would have had his son study one of the two best players in the world: Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. Henry’s logic was that, while he admires Ronaldo and Messi, they are freaks of nature, inimitable. New England Revolution and USMNT midfielder Jermaine Jones disagrees.
The18 recently got a chance to interview Jermaine Jones. As we talked about Jones' amazing goal against Portugal in the 2014 World Cup, and the match against Portugal in general, Cristiano Ronaldo came up. Jones had some very interesting things to say about Ronaldo and the difference between Ronaldo and Messi.
Jones says that while Messi may be an unexplainable natural phenomenon – a once in a generation player – Ronaldo is an example of what can be achieved through extremely hard work and perseverance.
“Messi’s completely different," Jones said. "Messi’s like, one time in the world, never again.”
“Cristiano, everything he [has] is really work.” Jones continued. “If you see his career, where he started from, Sporting Lisbon...how skinny he was...he worked for [everything]: that body, that fitness."
"From soccer players, it’s amazing. If you hear from close friends who play with him, then you say, ‘wow, OK, this is why he is what he is right now. This is why he has respect.'”
Jones scoring against Portugal. Clearly, admiration doesn't hold him back. Photo: @FutbolMediaset | Twitter
Jones said that those who know Ronaldo personally always admire the superstar, contradicting an opinion held by some that Ronaldo is selfish or arrogant.
“If you talk with people who are really close to Cristiano, they will tell you that, first of all, he’s a really good person," Jones said. "Second he’s like one of the best professional people you’ll ever see. He’s always the one that's first in the locker room, the last who left the locker room.”
Earlier in the interview, Jones, who practices yoga, repeatedly talked about the importance of work and treating your body right, as well as what can be achieved by doing so. His opinion on Ronaldo seems to be informed by this perspective.
“For me it’s the point — to take care of your body. Everything [Ronaldo] has right now — from body to what he’s like on skill and everything — he works for that.”
The pay-off for all Ronaldo's hard work and body maintenance is clear to Jones.
“If you look at him and you see him as player, and you play against him, he’s ridiculous. He can shoot with left. He can shoot with right. He can header. He’s like — this guy scores, every season, almost 50 goals."
"He’s really careful with his body and now today it pays him that big bill.”
Still going strong at the age of 33, Jones clearly knows a thing or two about taking care of himself in order to perform. Yoga, as said, is a big part of his fitness regimen (he has created a series of videos in conjunction with yoga and fitness company Gaiam), and he tries to eat good, fresh food often.
Jermaine Jones' Athletic Yoga Series provides athletes a series of stretches to aid in conditioning. More info below:
In addition to playing for the USMNT (and in the Bundesliga and Premier League in the past), Jones led the New England Revolution to the MLS Cup in only his first year with the team last season. He and the Revolution are looking to repeat that feat this year. They currently sit at 6th in the Eastern Conference, the last playoff spot, and have a massive game against New York City FC waiting for them over the weekend. A win could see the Revolution jump into as high a standing as 4th, should various other results from around the league go their way.
You can see Jones and the New England Revolution take on NYCFC on Sunday, October 25th at 5:00 PM EST on the YES Network or online using MLS live.
Be sure to check back in with The18 soon for more from our exclusive interview with Jermaine Jones.
Follow me on Twitter: @yetly
