Cristiano Ronaldo started his senior professional career with Sporting CP in 2002-03. However, after spending only one season at the Portuguese side, the player made a move to Premier League giants Manchester United. Notably, the move proved to be a pivotal stepping stone in his career, with Sir Alex Ferguson shaping his future.

Before joining United, the player was on the radar of other European giants like Liverpool, Arsenal, and Barcelona. Arenal were the frontrunners as their manager, Arsene Wenger, held talks with the Portuguese over the transfer. 

However, his performance in a friendly win over United made Ferguson move fast, and United signed the player. The lanky player impressed Ferguson, and he played a huge part in molding the raw player into a superstar. In the process, Ronaldo went through hairdryer treatment from the legendary manager in the initial days. The one such incident that had a big impact was Ferguson blasting the player after a loss to Benfica in the Champions League.

Sir Alex Ferguson slammed his prodigal son for poor performance

After becoming the first Portuguese to join Manchester United in 2003, Ronaldo played alongside a host of superstars. He was new to English soccer, and Ferguson was aware of the talent Ronaldo possessed. Ronaldo, in his early days, was going down too easily to win fouls, and Ferguson wasn’t happy at all.

But the game against Benfica in Lisbon during the 2006-07 UEFA Champions League season saw Ferguson going hard on the Portuguese. The poor performance made the manager criticize him. “Who do you think you are? Trying to play by yourself? You’ll never be a player if you do this!”

It reduced Ronaldo to tears, and his teammates were quick to respond by saying it was needed. Some teased him, “He’s crying in the changing room again!” “F**k off! What are you talking about?” “Cry-baby, cry-baby!” The criticism by the manager was not the first instance. Ronaldo responded to criticism by training harder and improving himself consistently.

Manchester United: Stepping stone in the success of Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United’s move proved to be a turning point in the career of the Portuguese. The timely guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, in addition to self-belief and hard work, gave the soccer world one of the greatest players. 

Ronaldo won his first Ballon d’Or, UEFA Champions League, and European Golden Shoe (while playing as a winger) at United. He won PFA Player’s Player, Fan’s Player, Young Player, and FWA Footballer of the Year in the 2007-08 season and became the first player to do so.

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His heroics at United earned him the world record transfer to Spanish giants Real Madrid. The rest is history. Ronaldo still admires Sir Alex Ferguson a lot and credits his success to the legendary manager.

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Ferguson approached Ronaldo differently, compared to other players, and criticized the player whenever necessary. The above incident was a part of his approach toward Ronaldo. Let us know your opinions on the impact Sir Alex Ferguson had on the development of Cristiano Ronaldo.