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Soccer Football – Premier League – West Ham United v Manchester United – London Stadium, London, Britain – September 19, 2021 Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo reacts REUTERS/David Klein EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

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Soccer Football – Premier League – West Ham United v Manchester United – London Stadium, London, Britain – September 19, 2021 Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo reacts REUTERS/David Klein EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
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.
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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.

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FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football – Barclays Premier League – Manchester United v Arsenal – Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain – May 16, 2009 Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates winning the Premier League with the trophy Action Images via Reuters/Michael Regan/File Photo
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.

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ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – JANUARY 12: Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Real Madrid receives the 2014 FIFA Ballon d’Or award for the player of the year during the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala 2014 at the Kongresshaus on January 12, 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images)
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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Watch This Story: Cause Man U Terminated His Contract Fans Destroy Cristiano Ronaldo on Social Media After Comments From Terminator Star Arnold Schwarzenegger Resurface
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.
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