'I didn't understand Cristiano Ronaldo' - Dejan Kulusevski claims CR7 advice is behind recent run of outstanding form with Tottenham and Sweden

The Tottenham star has been in impressive form of late, making six Premier League starts in the 2024-25 campaign while also taking the captain’s armband for Sweden. His value is being recognised by club and country, with the talented playmaker still only 24 years of age.

Greater consistency is being added to his game, with Kulusevski heeding words of wisdom from former Juventus team-mate Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar is still going strong at 39 as he has mastered the art of putting himself in peak physical condition.

That was not always a priority for Kulusevski, but he has told Fotbollskanalen of looking after himself on and off the pitch: "I’m getting to know my body. When I was younger, I didn’t understand when Ronaldo told me: ‘You will get to know your body’. Because I didn’t know my body then. But now I’m starting to understand my strengths and weaknesses, how I can improve. So I feel like everything is getting easier."

Kulusevski spent one season alongside Ronaldo in 2020-21. The lessons learned during that spell in Turin are serving him well in the present, with Spurs looking for leaders to step forward after seeing a run of five successive wins in all competitions snapped by defeat at Brighton prior to the latest international break.