Rio Ferdinand, former defender for Manchester United, in an interview with the BBC for a documentary about Sir Alex Ferguson recalled an incident where the Scottish coach brought Cristiano Ronaldo to tears.
Rio Ferdinand
We'd been to Portugal and played a couple of games, and he hadn't played well, Cristiano, because he was young, he tried too hard. I remember we played Benfica, and the manager ripped into Cristiano. 'Who d'you think you are? You're coming in here trying to prove to everybody who you think you are, you think you're a superstar'. And I remember Cristiano in tears in the changing room. And I was like, 'This manager doesn't care, man. He doesn't care who you are.'
Ferdinand concluded that Ronaldo needed that kind of strictness, and Ferguson, capable of being both soft and tough, helped elevate him to a world-class level, making him the best player in the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo played for Manchester United from 2003 to 2009 and then again from 2021 to 2022. During his time with the Red Devils, he participated in a total of 346 matches, scoring 145 goals and providing 64 assists.
Recently, the Transfermarkt website updated Ronaldo's market value, resulting in a decrease of 3 million euros.
