Emmanuel Adebayor lifts lid on when Jose Mourinho 'killed' Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid

Ex-Real Madrid striker Emmanuel Adebayor celebrates scoring a goal in a past match [Courteys]

Emmanuel Adebayor has revealed how a fuming Jose Mourinho 'once killed' Cristiano Ronaldo in the Real Madrid dressing room despite the star forward scoring a hat-trick.

Adebayor enjoyed a loan spell at the Spanish giants during the 2010-11 season, joining from Manchester City after seemingly falling out of favour at the Etihad.

The Togo forward was given first-team opportunities by Jose Mourinho, scoring eight goals in 22 appearances for the Spanish giants.

He flourished during his temporary stint at the European heavyweights, but once saw Portuguese manager Mourinho lose his cool in the dressing room and surprisingly direct his anger at Ronaldo.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, he said: “At Real, we were winning 3-0 at half-time. He (Mourinho) came into the dressing room and went mental. He kicked the fridge, kicked the television, threw water.

Mourinho and Cristiano in a past training session [Courtesy]

“He killed everyone. I remember he once killed Ronaldo after he scored a hat-trick. He said: ‘Everyone says you are the best in the world and you are playing badly. Show me you are the best.’

“Cristiano took it. Ronaldo could score a hat-trick but talk about the one he missed.”

Adebayor is a Premier League hero, having played in England with Arsenal, City, Tottenham and Crystal Palace.

He has played alongside some of Europe’s finest players, and was impressed by Ronaldo’s efforts in training.

The striker added: “He trained with us at Real Madrid as though he was training with his kids.

“Passes with his back, control with his neck. He once kept the ball for five seconds with one touch! How is that even possible?

“In the gym, wow. Sergio Ramos and I were the strongest. But then came Ronaldo. ‘You think that's hard?’ he'd say. We'd do five reps and he'd do 30."