Alex Ferguson coached Manchester United for nearly three decades and reveals that one of the club’s secrets has always been the mental toughness of its players. And in this specific case, he gives the example of Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I remember my first away game as a manager (at St Mirren) in 1974. We lost 5-2 to Albion Rovers. I came home and that night I thought to myself: ‘if I don’t make my players mentally strong, i will never succeed as a coach‘”, he explained in an interview with the English newspaper’ The Guardian ‘.
“It became the basis of my coaching methods to make sure that the players could handle the pressures and challenges of top-level football. I always tried to make sure they had this talent. be mentally strong At Manchester United the best players were mentally strong. Ronaldo is strong, honestly he is as strong as old boots. He was going to be a great player because he has all it takes mentally, ”said Ferguson.
“We have a part of the responsibility in this area because Eric Harrison, the youth coach, used to make it difficult for the young people. He would say to them ‘if you don’t have the mental toughness, you will never be part of the United first team‘”, he continues.
He went on to recount one of the secrets of the Red Devils’ success in his day. “People think of Manchester United in terms of great players like Ronaldo or Roy Keane. But the spirit of the club in my day was young people – Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, les Nevilles. That was the way, I just needed the support of the board. “
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