The best players have dedication to match – just look at Veron, Beckham and Ronaldo

Through countless hours of training, Diego Forlan knew his former teammates were in search of perfection. So when he saw them repeat amazing free kicks in real games, he knew it was hard work and talent, rather than luck.

Diego Forlan, third from left, shown here with Atletico Madrid, learnt the importance of training while playing with other dedicated stars in the game. (AP Photo/Paul White)

Diego Forlan writes a weekly column for The National, appearing each Friday. The former Manchester United, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid striker has been the top scorer in Europe twice and won the Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup. He currently plays in Japan for Cerezo Osaka. Forlan's column is written with the assistance of European football correspondent Andy Mitten.

International week usually meant long distance travel and games, but at Manchester United there was one break when no South American teams played. So I did what any serious footballer would do with time off and travelled to see Mickey Mouse at Euro Disney.

It was Juan Sebastian Veron’s idea. My Argentine teammate made me feel welcome when I arrived in Manchester and invited me along with his family. We weren’t the only footballers on roller coasters. Laurent Blanc was there, plus my compatriot Alvaro Recoba. We rode so many rides that our bodies were accustomed to bumps when there was turbulence on the flight back to Manchester.

“Seba” Veron was one of the best players I shared a dressing room with. Not only was he technically gifted and could pass the ball accurately over distance, not only could he anticipate where players would run, but he also ran himself.

I’ve seen players with his passing talent think that they don’t need to run. Seba ran a lot; he was strong, surprisingly fast, he could shoot, take free kicks, everything. No wonder United broke their transfer record for him in 2001.

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I watched him and David Beckham practising free kicks after training. They had a mobile wall to wheel into different positions. It didn’t jump up and down, but the “players” were taller. For one hour, they hit the ball over it and around it.

Their techniques were completely different, but they hit the same part of the goal each time. They would move the ball closer or further from the wall and still strike the same spot. Beckham was clearing the wall and scoring from eight yards, Veron from 16.

I thought, “Wow!” We were supposed to be tired, but they were in search of perfection. So when I saw them repeat this in real games, I knew it was hard work and talent, rather than luck.

Seba had been a big success in Italy with Sampdoria, Parma and Lazio. He was a hero in Argentina, too, but life was harder for him in England. He really tried to integrate, but he wasn’t arriving as a 22 year old straight out of South America. He was married with children and had been living in Rome, one the finest cities in the world. He’d learnt Italian. It was harder for him to start again in Manchester, though he had some wonderful games for United.

There were other world-class players at United. Levels were higher in England than what I’d been used to in Argentina. The players were taller, wider and quicker. The pitches were deliberately wet to make the game even faster. I realised that I’d have to improve.

I played against Rio Ferdinand, then with Leeds United, who had a good side. I’d never played against a defender of that level. He had everything. I was happy when he became a teammate a few months later.

I could understand why people pick out Paul Scholes for praise, but Roy Keane was also a world-class player. He was the captain, the most important person on and off the field. He could be hard on us, a real hard guy. I don’t see players like that now. He annoyed his teammates, but maybe some younger players need that aggression from an older player.

Keane was intelligent, too. He’d give me constant feedback. He’d comment on my positioning in training and tell me I should or shouldn’t do certain movements.

He didn’t see why I should practise boxes where I had four players to pass to, because he said: “On Saturday, you won’t have four players around you running at goal. You’ll be alone.” He wanted me to be primed to score in matches, not pass the ball around.

Cristiano Ronaldo joined United a year after me. He was ultra-confident, with the talent to back it up. He was dedicated, too, and practised as hard as anyone after training. You could tell that he wanted to be a great player, the greatest.

When you think of the best players practising, you have an image like the one I’ve presented for Veron and Beckham. Ronaldo did that, but he was equally dedicated in the gym. He worked closely with Mike Clegg, the strength and conditioning man.

He built himself up with many hours of exercises. Now it’s normal, but not many players were training like this a decade ago.

Outside on the pitches, if he saw a player do a trick he couldn’t do, he’d tell them that he’d learn it and that he’d be better at it than them within a week. He used to train with weights around his ankles to make him stronger. His whole life was dedicated to improving his football.

I’ll do a future column on Cristiano when we met again in Spain, as we’ll do on some of the other incredible players I’ve played with such as David de Gea, Kun Aguero and others. Juan Riquelme was another and I wrote about him when he retired recently.

I didn’t mention that in a Buenos Aires derby, Riquelme back-heeled the ball through the legs of Mario Yepes, a top defender, in the Bombonera. Unbelievable. Look it up on YouTube.

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Marseille vs Paris Saint-Germain

The bitter rivals are both at the top of Europe’s closest league with Lyon. PSG manager Laurent Blanc would have a more relaxed time on a roller coaster than back at his old club Marseille on Sunday.

The atmosphere is brutal there, more so with the new roof on the Velodrome. PSG have some brilliant players, but do you think that any Marcelo Biesla side would respect reputations? No chance. He’s a genius and he’s done really well at Marseille.

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