“He really is a freak” - When Darren Fletcher snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo while naming fittest player he ever came across
Darren Fletcher once named James McClean as the fittest player he's ever come across over former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese sensation is widely regarded as one of the fittest players of all time but is seemingly second in Fletcher's books.
Ronaldo and Fletcher played 155 matches together for Manchester United, bagging two joint goal contributions in the process. However, McClean, who shared the pitch at West Brom and for Scotland with the 41-year-old, seems to be a notch ahead of Ronaldo.
Speaking in an interview in 2017, Fletcher said (via Manchester Evening News):
"James McClean is probably the fittest guy I've ever come across in football. I've played with a lot fit players."
"I used to think of myself back in the day as one of the fittest box-to-box but I think James would blow me out the water. [He had] speed and unbelievable endurance. He really is a freak and another one who works incredibly hard at it," he added.
Fletcher and McClean played together on 81 occasions for club and country, bagging one joint goal contribution in the process. McClean, who previously represented West Brom and Stoke City, is currently with Wrexham in League One.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo, who is in the final leg of his career, plies his trade for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr. He joined the Riyadh-based side in January 2023 after having his contract mutually terminated at Manchester United while undergoing his second stint at Old Trafford.
When Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal teammate said Al-Nassr star will remain fit and participate in the 2026 World Cup
While Cristiano Ronaldo has won most trophies in football, one that has eluded him is the prestigious FIFA World Cup. With the former Real Madrid man aged 40, there are question marks over whether he will make it fit for the next edition of this international tournament in 2026.
Joao Felix, who plays alongside Ronaldo for Portugal, sees the five-time Ballon d'Or winner representing his country in the next World Cup. He told TNT Sports Mexico in January (via Mirror):
"Yes, I think so. Everything suggests that he will. He has this dream of winning the World Cup, and we are going to do everything possible to give him that prize, which I think is the only one he is missing."
Ronaldo has played 217 matches across competitions for Portugal, bagging 135 goals. He managed to win the European Championships with his country back in 2016.
