The making of Ronaldo under Alex Ferguson
In his book The making of Ronaldo, Spanish Football expert Guillem Balague revealed the details of Cristiano Ronaldo‘s transformation from a youngster to one of the best player in the World.
Balague discussed what kind of challenges the Portuguese International faced on his way stardom, after arriving at Manchester United.
However, Ronaldo relation with Alex Ferguson was crucial to his success, which paved the way for illustrious career.
The making of Ronaldo under Alex Ferguson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ucYd3b2DYQ
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“Cristiano Ronaldo, with his funny broken English, hung around with the group of Manchester United’s Spanish-speaking players when he first arrived – Quinton Fortune, Diego Forlán and Ruud Van Nistelrooy with whom he enjoyed a positive initial relationship; and later goalkeeper Ricardo, fitness coach Valter di Salvo, Gerard Piqué and Gabriel Heinze. But everyone ‘got’ him straight away. “He walked with his chest out. He was so confident. His eyes looking straight into yours,” recalled Phil Neville.
“Cristiano was a winger with a striker’s soul, but there was also something else in that conflict, a more human element. Van Nistelrooy, who scored 150 goals in five seasons at the club, was United’s big star when Cristiano arrived. All of a sudden, a thin, adolescent Portuguese trickster was winning over supporters.
“They had a couple of arguments,” revealed Ferdinand. “Ruud Van Nistelrooy kicked him one time and after that I kicked Ruud just to protect Ronnie a little bit and Ruud swung a punch at me and he missed.”
That incident took place just before the final match of the 2005–06 campaign against Charlton. Cristiano started while Van Nistelrooy did not make the squad. The Dutchman would never play for the club again.
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In the dressing room, Ferguson could not contain himself: “Who do you think you are? Trying to play by yourself? You’ll never be a player if you do this!”Ronaldo began to cry. The other players left him be. “He needed to learn,” said Ferdinand. “That was a message from the team, not just from Ferguson: everyone thought he needed to learn.”
After the telling-off and a few tears, the Portuguese’s reaction was the same as always: keep working in training to improve. Predictably, the group responded by winding him up. Quinton Fortune and Rio Ferdinand reminded him of the incident a few weeks later.
“He’s crying in the changing room again!”
“F— off! What are you talking about?”
“Cry-baby, cry-baby!”
Even so, Ronaldo would often forget his responsibilities. During his inaugural season at the club, his manager was hard on him. In Ronaldo’s first match back on home soil since signing for United, a Champions League defeat against Benfica, he spent the game trying to prove why he was a Premier League player and had a bad day.
“Ferguson knew that after the stick, he had to apply the carrot. “Every now and again, the manager would ask him in front of the squad, ‘Why did you dribble rather than cross?’” recalled Alec Wylie. “Then when he’d finished his rant, he’d go and sit next to him to explain why he’d had a go at him.”
Ferguson had never treated any other player with the same respect and affection as he did Ronaldo. The squad would make jokes about the special relationship with a mixture of laughter and envy: “He’s your dad; he’s your dad!”