UCL: He doesn’t care – Rio Ferdinand reveals how Ferguson made Ronaldo cry
2 years ago 2 min read
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Manchester United legend, Rio Ferdinand has recalled the moment how the club’s former manager Sir Alex Ferguson made Cristiano Ronaldo to cry in the dressing room.
According to Ferdinand, the incident happened after Man United’s UEFA Champions League game with Benfica in 2005.
The former England defender said Ferguson was unhappy with Ronaldo’s performance against Benfica as Man United were knocked out of the Champions League.
In a recent BBC Sport documentary ‘Sir Alex’, Ferdinand said: “We’d been in Portugal and Cristiano hadn’t played well. He was young and tried too hard.
“I remember we played Benfica, and the manager ripped into Cristiano. He went, “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.”
He added, “But then look at the player he became, Cristiano needed moments like that.
“The manager could have been soft and nice with him but he had to be hard to get him to where he got to, and that was the best player in the world.”
Ferguson sanctioned Man United’s move for Ronaldo from Sporting CP back in 2003.
Ronaldo went on to score over 100 goals during his first spell at United.
The Portugal captain also won three Premier League titles, three domestic cups and the Champions League with the Red Devils.
