Sir Alex Ferguson left Cristiano Ronaldo in tears after a Champions League loss against Benfica.
Ferguson’s attempted to toughen up the Real Madrid star on a number of occasions, according to Spanish journalist Guillem Balague’s new book ‘Cristiano Ronaldo: The Biography’.
Although the former Manchester United manager’s treatment paid off in the end, at first, Ronaldo’s emotional reaction led to him being called a ‘cry-baby’ by a couple of his teammates at the time such as Rio Ferdinand and Quinton Fortune.
In Cristiano Ronaldo: The Biography, the extract reads:
“In Ronaldo’s first match back on home soil since signing for Manchester United, a Champions League game against Benfica, Ferguson could not contain himself any longer. Things had not gone to plan as the Portuguese team ran out 1-0 winners in Lisbon. The winger, who spent the game trying to prove why he was a Premier League player, had a bad day at the office.
“Ferguson showed no pity.
“’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**ck off! What are you talking about?’
“’Cry-baby, cry-baby!’”
By Drew Darbyshire (@DarbySports)
