Rio Ferdinand recalled an incredible rift in the training hall between former Manchester United team-mates Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy, the latter telling the Portugal international to “join the circus”.
Ronaldo joined United in 2003 as a relatively unknown youngster, and has grown into one of the best players in the world. He spent six years at Old Trafford, winning a number of trophies with the club, before sealing an £ 80million move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009.
Ferdinand has revealed that Ronaldo’s clash with van Nistelrooy helped the Portuguese build a desire to become one of the best in the world. “It didn’t happen instantly, but he was incredibly skillful and he was there to entertain the crowd,” Ferdinand said on BT Sport.
Rio added, “He (Ronaldo) loved to do skills. He used to be broken in training but I remember one time I think it was a good time for him but he didn’t take it too well. Ruud [Van Nistelrooy] was the man at United at the time. He was the man who scored all the goals. “
“You can’t look any further than Cristiano Ronaldo.”
“I don’t know a stronger, more determined, obsessed player that I’ve shared a changing room with.”@ rioferdy5 on why CR7 made the biggest influence at Man Utd during his time at the club ✨#PLTonight pic.twitter.com/Xq6RJGHAe0
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 28, 2021
The Manchester United legend added: “Ronaldo had the ball wide and was doing laps and Ruud was racing into the box, Ronaldo didn’t pass and Ruud went crazy screaming. “He should be in the circus, he shouldn’t” “Be on the pitch” Ruud said as he entered, outside the training ground, and Ronaldo got upset and angry – “Why is he talking to me? like that?
Ferdinand then said: “He (Ronaldo) was 18 or 19 at the time. Some children reportedly broke down and lost confidence.
Some would have continued to do the same, but Ronaldo knew Ruud might be right.
numbers, statistics, goals. What will make him the best player in the world? He was like, take the mike off him and say ‘you’re not the real club No.7, you not George Best and Beckham’ and you could see him thinking, ‘how can I derail them? “
Rio also claimed that Ronaldo’s state of mind was the strongest he had ever encountered in his career and that he had helped transform the now Juventus star “from boy to man”.
The BT Sport expert admitted the 35-year-old has become one of the game’s biggest stars and insisted his former teammate leave Old Trafford as the best.
The former defender concluded by saying: “When we were going to a first, we asked him, ‘who is the best player ever?’, Ronaldo said ‘me’. He has an ego but he has pride and an obsessive nature and came as a kid and became the best player in the world. ”
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