“You’re f*****g out of order” - When Sir Alex Ferguson jumped on reporter to protect Cristiano Ronaldo 

Former Sky Sports reporter Geoff Shreeves has opened up on his heated exchange with legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson involving Cristiano Ronaldo.

During an FA Cup encounter against Middlesbrough in 2007, Cristiano Ronaldo won a penalty and converted it. After the game, Shreeves interviewed the Portuguese forward and asked him if he felt the penalty was soft. The then-Manchester United man said that it was a penalty and moved on.

However, Sir Alex Ferguson took offense to Shreeves' questioning and came out of the dressing room, blasting expletives at the reporter. Shreeves had previously written in his book "Cheers, Geoff! Tales from the Touchline" about the spat, explaining (via Goal):

“He [Ferguson] stood up for his players, as I discovered after an FA Cup win over Middlesbrough when Cristiano Ronaldo went tumbling to win a penalty. I asked Cristiano whether he went down easily. Ronaldo is pretty non-committal but says it was a penalty. I certainly wasn’t aware of the impending explosion.

"Sir Alex comes out of the dressing room and stalks straight towards me. 'You and your f***ing questions, you’re f***ing out of order,' he snarled. 'The boy hardly speaks English, you’re f***ing bang out of order', plus even more colourful language. 'Don’t talk to me like that,' I replied. 'I’m not one of your daft, young players'.”

Shreeves also spoke about the incident recently in a conversation with Betting Sites, where he spoke about some of his encounters with managers. He also shared how Manchester United legend Dennis Law's daughter had to break him and Sir Alex Ferguson up during the spat, saying:

“One time I did an interview with Cristiano Ronaldo which Sir Alex took exception to and he had a pop at me. I had a pop back and then he physically jumped towards me, and a press officer – Dennis Law’s daughter – jumped in between us and said ‘stop this, stop this!’.

"They were such huge characters. Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho, along with Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, they’re the five grand dukes I loved duelling with the most. When you’re going in there to interview them, you’re trying to get an answer for your viewers, so it’s how far you are willing to push them; a lot of that depends on your relationship with them.”

Sir Alex Ferguson is known to behave as the guardian for some of the players he managed so it's no surprise he jumped up to protect Ronaldo back then.

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Cristiano Ronaldo's record under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting CP back in 2003 after being impressed with him during a friendly against Manchester United. Under the Scottish manager's guidance, the Portuguese winger went on to become one of the best players in the world.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored 118 goals and provided 63 assists in 292 games under Sir Alex Ferguson. He helped Manchester United win a number of trophies, including three Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League, among others.

Ronaldo then left United to join Real Madrid in 2009 for a then-world record fee of £89 million. He went on to win five Ballons d'Or and numerous trophies. The Portuguese legend has often shared how he regards Sir Alex Ferguson as a father figure and recognises his contribution to his illustrious career.