A new biography on Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that the Portuguese superstar was once reduced to tears by Sir Alex Ferguson during his time at Manchester United.
The attacker may be one of the world’s most confident and arrogant players—and is the epitome of superiority—but it seems like it wasn’t always the case.
As detailed in a new book, ‘Ronaldo: The Biography’, the player’s former teammate Rio Ferdinand has shed light on one incident—during a Champions League loss to Benfica—in which the forward was reduced to a snivelling wreck thanks to some choice words from his fearsome Scottish manager.
“Who do you think you are?,” Sir Alex said. “Trying to play by yourself? You’ll never be a player if you do this!”
“He needed to learn. That was a message from the team, not just from Ferguson: everyone thought he needed to learn.”
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Indeed, when Ronaldo arrived at Old Trafford, he was known for his petulance and his selfish flourishes, but he eventually developed his discipline and became a hard-nosed winner under the tutelage of experienced figures such as Ferguson, Ferdinand, as well as Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville.