Cristiano Ronaldo news: Vidic reveals how Portuguese star reacted when Sir Alex Ferguson first shouted at him

UEFA Champions League & UEFA Cup Draw
UEFA Champions League & UEFA Cup Draw

What's the story?

Former Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic has recalled the early days of Cristiano Ronaldo's career at Manchester United and has particularly pin-pointed the day when then manager Sir Alex Ferguson shouted at the Portuguese talisman.

In case you didn't know...

An 18-year-old Ronaldo arrived at Old Trafford from Sporting CP in 2003. He went on to spend six trophy-laden years with the club, thriving under the tutelage of the legendary Ferguson. During this period, the Portuguese won three Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy with the club.

Ronaldo then moved to La Liga giants Real Madrid for a then-record fee of £80 million. He spent nine successful years at the club, during which he won four Champions League titles and two La Liga trophies.

Last summer, the 34-year-old moved to Serie A outfit Juventus, where he is on the cusp of winning the league title, after already having won the Supercoppa Italiana. The club, however, crashed out of the Champions League earlier this week, same as former side Manchester United, who were eliminated after their defeat to Barcelona.

The heart of the matter

Speaking on the League of Legends podcast, Vidic revealed that Ronaldo's tendency to become emotional following criticism has helped Ferguson and his players realize that it was not the most effective way to get the best out of him.

The former Red Devil said (via Manchester Evening News), "I think Ronaldo wasn’t happy when he [Sir Alex] shouted at him. In the beginning it was one time he said something to Ronaldo, but he accepted it very emotionally. He took it personally, but he was very young - he was 20 years old."

He added, "Of course you realise, even me, that next time you will not tell him [if he does something wrong]. It’s better to not tell him because otherwise he will be too emotional and he won’t help you be better."

What's next?

Ronaldo will return to action when Juventus face Fiorentina in the Serie A later today.

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