Ex-Juventus defender Mehdi Benatia shared a dressing room with Cristiano Ronaldo in Turin last season before his January move to Al Duhail, which was enough time for him to conclude the Portugal star is “not a normal person”.

Speaking with French radio station RMC, the Moroccan international recalled an incident that backed up his assessment.

Benatia recalls Ronaldo's odd question

“For the game against Bergamo we were the two unused substitutes because three days later we were going to play again and the coach wanted to make rotations,” Benatia said.

“When we were on the bus back [from Bergamo], Cristiano sent me a message: ‘What are you going to do now?" I told him: “It's eleven pm. I'm going home. Why?’

“Do you feel like doing some exercise in the gym? I didn't sweat and I need it. Are you coming?’”, said Benatia, recalling Ronaldo’s somewhat odd question.

“I replied that it was eleven o'clock at night and I just wanted to get home and watch TV.”

Full screen Ronaldo with team mate Chiellini, who has also marveled at his team mate's work ethic. ANDREAS SOLARO (AFP)

"Ronaldo sacrificed his whole life for football"

He added: “At that moment I realized that Cristiano is not a normal person. When you work with him, you respect him more because you see that he sacrificed his whole life for football."

Ronaldo is known as an extremely hard worker when it comes to fitness, as many team mates, both past and present, have often claimed.

And Benatia’s anecdote is further proof of the ex-Madrid star’s freakish attitude to training, which has reportedly rubbed off on some of his Juve team mates.