Capello: Ronaldo partied every night and weighed 94kg so I begged Real to axe him… but he’s still best I ever coached

FORMER Real Madrid boss Fabio Capello has claimed Ronaldo was the best player he ever coached – even though he axed him after weighing 94kg and “partying every night”.

Ronaldo is widely considered as one of the greatest players in the history of the game and hit his best form with the Spanish giants.

He netted 100 goals in his first four seasons for Madrid before problems emerged with his private life.

Ronaldo, who won two Ballon d’Or awards, became known for his love of Madrid nightlife and came under fire for weight gain in his career.

Capello only managed Ronaldo during the player’s final season at the Bernabeu in 2006-07.

That campaign saw him play just 13 games before he was sold to AC Milan for a bargain £4.95m.

The Italian coach said the forward was still the best player he ever coached but said his physical condition made it impossible for him to continue at the club.

He said he told president Florentino Perez to sell him after Ronaldo grew to 94kg and refused to lose the weight.

He told Spanish outlet AS: “Ronaldo was the best player I ever coached. But he loved to party every night — he was wild.

“He weighed around 207 pounds and refused to slim down. At one point, I told the president we had to let him go.

“There was no way forward. So we did. But I’ll say it again: he was the best I’ve ever coached.”

Capello would guide Madrid to the LaLiga title that season before taking the England job, while Ronaldo’s struggles continued at AC Milan.

He lasted only two seasons with the Italian side, scoring just nine goals in 20 games before joining Corinthians in his native Brazil.

His exit from Madrid proved to be the start of his decline as a player as, after leaving Milan, he only played another two years in Brazil before hanging up his boots in 2011.

Ronaldo struggled with injuries during his career and he said his body could no longer endure the rigours of the modern game when he announced his retirement.

He finished with a total of 352 career goals, two World Cup wins and 11 club trophies.

Capello previously claimed Ronaldo was a “negative leader” at Madrid as he opened up on his partying habits that influenced other players.

He told Rio Ferdinand’s ‘FIVE’ podcast: “With him, we have to sack him because he was no leader.

“He was a negative leader because every night he went to the villa with I think six or seven players… party, party, party, party.”

The ex-AC Milan and Juventus boss has also claimed he urged then-chairman Silvio Berlusconi not to sign the player in 2007 – but the advice fell on deaf ears.

He said: “I advised him against doing so, telling him that he [Ronaldo] was a party animal, and that he only thought about being surrounded by women. He [Berlusconi] told me: ‘Okay, thank you Fabio.'”