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Former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has lavished praise on legendary Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The Portuguese ace expressed gratitude to the Scottish coach for taking him under his wing at 18 years old.
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Manchester United for the first time in 2003 from Portuguese outfit Sporting CP. The winger began his journey to become one of the greatest players of this generation under Ferguson's tutelage.
Ronaldo credited his former boss for his success, insisting that the Scottish coach was a great teacher. The Portuguese ace spoke about the 2008 UEFA Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester United in an interview with LiveScore.
Touching upon his time at Old Trafford under Ferguson, he said:
“So the boss, he was the leader, was the guy which is every player follow him, his ideas, his strategy. For me, as I say many, many times, he's one of my fathers of football that when I arrive here in Manchester with 18, he put me in the right spot."
Cristiano Ronaldo added:
“He teaches me many things where I am today. It's a little bit part of him as well. So I appreciate what he did with me.”
The 2008 UEFA Champions League final saw both agony and extreme joy for the Portuguese superstar. Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 26th minute of the encounter with a well-placed header.
Frank Lampard equalized for the Blues just before half-time, and the game went to a penalty shootout, where Ronaldo missed his spot-kick. However, the Red Devils came out on top after misses from John Terry and Nicolas Anelka and lifted the prestigious European trophy.
"It's a challenge" - Barcelona boss Xavi speaks on Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo's second stint at Old Trafford certainly did not live up to the fans' expectations. The Portuguese superstar had a great fallout with manager Erik ten Hag after refusing to come on as a substitute in a Premier League fixture.
The Portuguese's frustration at the club was made public after he featured in an explosive interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan, where he lambasted the club hierarchy and Ten Hag.
After his contract was terminated by mutual agreement, the five-time Ballon d'Or secured a move to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr, where he will reportedly earn $200 million per season.
While many believe the Portuguese superstar will find it easy in the Saudi Pro League given his extraordinary resume in Europe's top leagues, Xavi claims otherwise. He said (via Manchester Evening News):
"Ronaldo has signed for one of the best clubs in Saudi Arabia but it's a challenge. Saudi Arabia has things to improve but that’s the same as in Spain, where we have 200 hundred things to improve. Everyone deserves that football should go around the world."
