'He didn't put his foot down and say you're a striker' - How Ancelotti coaxed Ronaldo to play centre-forward

Cristiano Ronaldo's evolution from wide forward to striker reached its peak when Carlo Ancelotti arrived at Real Madrid, winning the Champions League at the end of the 2013-14 season. 

Paul Clement worked with Ancelotti at Chelsea and later at Paris Saint-Germain, Madrid and Bayern Munich and the pair's time at Santiago Bernabeu marked Ronaldo's conversion to full-time striker. 

Clement, who assisted Ancelotti alongside Zinedine Zidane, believes moving Ronaldo up front was both a tactical and man-management masterstroke from the Italian.

"When we first got to the club, he had played as a number nine but Carlo had the idea for him in 2013-14 that he would become a full-time striker so he didn’t have to track a full-back," Clement told Goal.

"He spoke to Carlo and asked to be on the left, cutting inside, shooting, crossing and providing key passes. Carlo just said: 'Look it is important for you to be comfortable and we don’t want you to be uncomfortable'.

"It is an example of how Carlo manages top players; he didn’t put his foot down and say you’re a striker now. It was important for Ronaldo to be comfortable because he was the match-winner and it worked well.

"They had to adjust everything else to ensure he didn’t have to track his full-back so he played one system offensively and another defensively. Defensively, it would be a 4-4-2 where Ronaldo would be a striker with Karim Benzema.

"Then Angel Di Maria, who was on the left of midfield, would move out to the left to create a four. It was a lopsided shape that would change to allow Ronaldo to play more advanced."

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Tactical innovation and flexibility are characteristics of Ancelotti's career - traits which have always seen him adapt his methods to the players available. It has brought staggering success for the current Everton manager, who has also won major honours with AC Milan, Chelsea, PSG and Bayern. 

At the heart of Ancelotti's success with Madrid was his relationship with Ronaldo. They won four trophies in a two-year spell, including that 2014 Decima victory against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final, and Ronaldo claimed the Ballon d'Or in his first season in the process. Clement remembers Ronaldo as the model professional behind the scenes.

"I always quote what Carlo says: 'When Ronaldo walks onto the pitch, you have always got a 1-0 lead',” Clement added. "In our two years there, he scored 50 goals a season. So when he misses a couple of games through niggles, then you miss that goal he brings in every game.

"You are starting 1-0 ahead just by having him. What an advantage that is! I liked him a lot. He was a good guy, clever and a businessman with great languages. He was a great people person with a good character for the squad.

"He was always telling stories and he helps his team-mates. That’s before talking about his talent with his work ethic. He worked on and off the field. His job was to provide and score goals. Scoring goals motivated him.

"Off the field, he is super professional with his care and attention to recovery, gym work, strength training, diet and nutrition. It was incredible."

After working in England at Derby County, Swansea City and Reading, Clement has been given his first managerial role overseas working with Monaco's sister club in Belgium, Cercle Brugge.