Cristiano stopped counting hours
Days bled into each other
He only knew morning when he saw the sun rise from the gym window
His routine wasn't normal anymore
It was obsessive
Dangerous to some
Necessary to him
He ate boiled chicken while watching match footage
Did sit-ups during commercial breaks
Timed his breathing during sleep
Checked his weight every morning like it was a game score
Teammates noticed
They joked
Called him "robot"
Laughed when he declined night outs or parties
Cristiano didn't mind
He was building something they couldn't see
Late one evening
Gary Neville walked into the training grounds
Expecting silence
Instead
He heard the thud of a ball against a wall
Again
Again
Again
Cristiano
Sweating through his shirt
Practicing his weaker foot
Neville stood there for a second
Just watching
Then left without saying anything
Next day
He told Scholes
"That kid's not normal
He's possessed"
Possessed was right
Cristiano wasn't just training anymore
He was molding himself
Like iron in fire
Hammering weakness out of his body with every rep
He had a notebook
Filled with targets
"Ten goals this season"
"Score with left foot"
"Header goal in big game"
"Become unstoppable"
Every week
He reviewed them
Crossed out what he achieved
Added harder ones
He was chasing something
But not a person
Not a record
Not a rival
He was chasing the version of himself that existed only in his imagination
The one who never missed
Never tired
Never backed down
Cristiano had tasted the obsession
And now
He was addicted