Cristiano Ronaldo may have just arrived for his first day of preseason training at Juventus on Tuesday, but a lookalike already has fans seeing double in Italy.
Personal trainer Gianfranco Sanguinetti, 35, bears a striking resemblance to the Portuguese striker, who underwent medical tests on Tuesday after finally joining up with the Seria A champions following his €105 million (US$122.6 million) move.
Sanguinetti posted a shot of himself on Instagram outside the Juventus club shop last month, and has been snapping photos in Milan this week with passers-by eager to take a picture with the Ronaldo lookalike.
A post shared by Gianfranco Ronnie Sanguinetti (@gspersonaltrainer) on Jul 29, 2018 at 12:43pm PDT
From Lavagna in the province of Genoa, Sanguinetti is used to getting people toned and trim in the gym but is now eyeing a new job.
“I would like to become the double of Cristiano Ronaldo by profession,” said Sanguinetti, who is looking for an agent to help him score some entertainment gigs according to the Calcio News 24 website.
A post shared by Gianfranco Ronnie Sanguinetti (@gspersonaltrainer) on Jul 29, 2018 at 12:07am PDT
It may require a bit more work on his own body for Sanguinetti, who while no slouch is certainly a bit bigger than the superstar forward, whose physical condition reportedly stunned Juventus doctors.
According to his medical results, the 33-year-old has just seven per cent body fat, around three per cent less than the average professional footballer.
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He was also the joint-fastest player at the World Cup in Russia, hitting a top speed of 21.1mph (34km/h), matched only by Ante Rebic of Croatia, who at 24 is nearly a decade his junior.
“To be more like Cristiano, I should avoid eating carbohydrates,” Sanguinetti said. He also posted a picture on Instagram of himself on a treadmill, with a caption saying he needs to do more cardio because Ronaldo is not as muscular as him.
A post shared by Gianfranco Ronnie Sanguinetti (@gspersonaltrainer) on Jul 23, 2018 at 12:47pm PDT
Sadly for Sanguinetti, the real Ronaldo has yet to acknowledge the attempts of the aspiring “CR7” to catch his attention on Instagram.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has certainly been busy with other matters following the World Cup. After signing his contract and undergoing an initial medical a few of weeks ago, Ronaldo was granted an extended break, including a personal promotional tour of China.
While most of Massimiliano Allegri’s squad are away on their preseason tour in the United States, some members of the squad who were involved at Russia 2018 have been back at the Juventus Training Centre in Continassa, and Ronaldo joined them for the first time on Tuesday.
Ronaldo underwent more physical tests and greeted, among others, Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain – who looks to be on his way out of Juventus after Ronaldo’s arrival, with AC Milan supposed close to securing a season-long loan.
