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What's the story?
One of the former first-team coaches of Manchester United has made a huge claim in an interview recently, by stating that when the now world-renowned forward Cristiano Ronaldo joined The Red Devils, he just wasn't productive enough.
Rene Meulensteen, the Dutch coach who joined Sir Alex Ferguson's team at the Old Trafford in 2007, revealed how a red card and subsequent ban allowed him to play a big role in Ronaldo's evolution as one of the most feared finishers in the world at the club.
In case you didn't know...
Ronaldo, who joined United in 2003, only managed 18 goals in his first three seasons at the club, which is not bad at all given that he was only 18 years old when he left his boyhood club for the English giants.
The Portuguese ace has now won the league title in three different countries, starting off with the Premier League title with United in 2007.
For the first time in nine years, the prolific forward has failed to find the back of the net on more than 25 occasions, finishing his debut season for Juventus with 21 goals. The last time it happened, he was still wearing the famous No.7 jersey of Manchester United.
The heart of the matter
Like every youngster, who is full of untapped potential, a young Ronaldo, considered to be the world's best teenager at that time, also needed a helping hand to reach the heights at which his career has reached. Meulensteen explained how setting clear goals helped the former Real Madrid marksman turn into a star from a promising talent.
He told The Coache's Voice:
"Cristiano Ronaldo was someone I got to spend plenty of time with at the start of the 2007-08 season."
"A red card in the second game of the season meant he was banned for three games, which gave me the perfect opportunity to work on some things with him."
"I believed he was one of the best forwards at a very young age, but he wasn’t productive enough. We needed him to score more goals. I knew that was what he wanted too."
The former deputy of Ferguson also revealed the secret behind Ronaldo's success, claiming that the player's desire and goal-setting helped him a lot. He added:
"It was also about the value of setting aims and targets, and explaining to him that people who have a clear goal – and devise a strategy to get there – will be far more successful than those who say 'I want that', and then wait and hope for the best."
"He was very receptive to anything that he knew could bring him closer to what he wanted."
What's next?
After a fairly successful season in Italy with Juve, Ronaldo will now shift his focus on international duty, as he finds himself in the provisional squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League semi-finals.
Portugal host Switzerland at The Estádio do Dragão on 05 June.
Also see : Manchester Transfer News, EPL Transfer News
