While Ronaldo went on to become Madrid’s all-time leading scorer, the Dutchman ended up leaving the club in North London following his exit from the Bernabeu where he went on to become a cult hero at Tottenham.
Speaking to talkSPORT, the 42-year-old was asked who his favourite players were to play alongside during his career to which he chose Ronaldo without a second thought.
“Of course I have to mention Ronaldo because I played for a year at Real Madrid with him.
"You see from really close how special he is, how much effort he puts in every day. I was not a player like that. I liked to go out, enjoy life. But he was in the gym training two or three times a day, recovering, and then scoring goals.
“For me, I have a son who is 18 and plays for Ajax under 19s and I always give Ronaldo as an example because he was never satisfied. When I scored one goal after ten minutes I thought okay, we’ve had a good game and I can just enjoy it now.
“He was not (satisfied). When he scored three he wanted four so that was a big quality – and he’s still doing it at his age."
However, when asked if mental strength is what separates stars like Ronaldo from other players, he claimed that his technique was better than the Portuguese international.
“Absolutely, because if you ask me who had the better technique, me or Ronaldo, I would say myself in terms of first touch and passing.
“But he was so fit and so focused on scoring goals and winning things. I just went on the pitch and when it was 3-3 or 4-4, I preferred that to a 1-0 win.
“His way of thinking is the biggest difference.”