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Cristiano Ronaldo has teamed up with some world-class players at Manchester United and enjoyed a massively successful stint at Old Trafford.
It was at Manchester United that Cristiano Ronaldo grew into one of the best footballers on the planet. Sir Alex Ferguson signed the Portuguese as the most expensive teenager at the time from Sporting Lisbon in the summer of 2003.
He was given the storied number 7 shirt previously worn by the likes of George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham and he went on to immortalize its legacy over the course of his stay at Manchester United.
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Ronaldo won three Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League title, one FA Cup and two League Cups in addition to the FIFA Club World Cup over the course of his six-year stay in Manchester. It was, in no short part, thanks to some world-class players who lined up alongside him.
Today, we take a look at five of Cristiano Ronaldo's best teammates at Manchester United.
5 of Cristiano Ronaldo's best teammates at Manchester United
#5 Gary Neville
Gary Neville belongs to a breed of footballers we're starting to see very little off these days. A one-club player who rose through the ranks at Manchester United and went on to enjoy a hugely successful stint before hanging up his boots, what Neville lacked in natural talent, he made up for with his hard work and grit.
Gary Neville held it down on the right-flank for Sir Alex Ferguson's men and enjoyed a fruitful partnership with Ronaldo. In his earlier days, Cristiano Ronaldo was deployed on the right-wing a lot. Neville's tenacity enabled the Portuguese to attack with abandon and cut-in and wreak havoc in more central areas.
Neville also captained Manchester United during Ronaldo's days at Manchester United and both have won several titles together.
#4 Nani
Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani started their professional football careers in similar fashion. Nani started turning heads at Sporting Lisbon and Manchester United signed him in 2007. Nani's style of play was almost identical to that of Cristiano Ronaldo's.
Their slick brand of football that was riddled with tricks, flicks and absolute scorchers from range soon became a menace for the Premier League defenders. In their first season together at Manchester United, the compatriots won the UEFA Champions League title.
Nani and Ronaldo combined to score 14 goals during the two years they spent together at Manchester United. The Red Devils were a whole different proposition with two skilful players operating on either flank and they won the Premier League in both the seasons they played together for the Old Trafford outfit.
#3 Paul Scholes
Some of the best players in the modern game, namely Zinedine Zidane, Xavi and Xabi Alonso considered Paul Scholes the best midfielder of their generation. Paul Scholes was a genius in midfield whose technical proficiency is underrated and that has a lot to do with how there were several players to share the spotlight with at Manchester United.
Scholes is one of the most successful footballers of his generation. In a career where he only played for Manchester United, Paul Scholes also got to link up with Cristiano Ronaldo. Attackers relish having midfielders who rightly judge their movements and can pick them out from anywhere on the pitch.
Paul Scholes used to provide Cristiano Ronaldo with service of the highest order. The duo worked in tandem to squeeze out positive results in hard-fought matches and it is that ability that really ended up setting Manchester United apart from the rest.
#2 Ryan Giggs
Cristiano Ronaldo has had the chance to play with two of the finest wingers in the history of the game and Ryan Giggs is one of them. Ryan Giggs had been tearing it up for Manchester United for around 11 years when Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at the club.
Giggs' longevity was quite something. He kept his standards up throughout his career and won the PFA Player of the Year Award in 2009 playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. Giggs was 34 at the time.
Giggs has played 204 games together and the duo combined to score 23 goals during that time. Both players will go down in history as two of the best to have played for Manchester United and on their day, there was absolutely no stopping them.
#1 Wayne Rooney
When there's a discussion about the most deadly striking duos in the modern era, the Cristiano Ronaldo-Wayne Rooney partnership cannot be discarded. Things could have taken an extremely different turn though.
In the 2006 World Cup quarter-final, Cristiano Ronaldo played a hand in Wayne Rooney getting sent off and everyone expected that the duo was set to fall out. But Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo had no problems burying the hatchet simply because they had so much to win.
Rooney does not get the credit he deserves as one of the Premier League greats. One of the best natural strikers that the game has seen in recent times, what made Rooney special was his versatility and readiness to play the supporting role.
Rooney was happy to let the prolific Cristiano Ronaldo have more opportunities in front of goal. The duo absolutely bossed it in the Premier League and in Europe till Ronaldo left.
When Carlos Tevez joined them for a short stint, Ronaldo and Rooney combined with him to form the most prolific attacking trios in the history of the Premier League.
There are entire collections of swift Manchester United counter-attacks spearheaded by Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo and it goes to show that they formed a timeless pair we just couldn't get enough of.
After leaving Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo once said,
"I miss playing with Rooney. Maybe we will play together again one day."
