Sir Alex Ferguson has lauded Cristiano Ronaldo for his immediate impact on his return to Manchester United.
Sir Alex Ferguson was at Old Trafford watching Cristiano Ronaldo score twice against Newcastle United on his return.
Ferguson said:
“It’s fantastic, you saw on that Saturday that it was like Caesar entering Rome after victory. ‘I came, I saw, I conquered.’ It was fantastic.”
“I mean, for anyone who is a United fan, we could have had a million people in there, without doubt, as there were so many outside, hundreds outside. It’s one of these things.
Sir Alex Ferguson on Ronaldo’s work ethic
Ferguson said when Ronaldo was at United as a teenager his learning process was very quick.
“A lot of people said he was a diver and there was a little spell of that but, after that, he was attacking defenders and all he needed was a nudge and he would waltz by them. He would attack with unbelievable speed. I think the increasing knowledge of his game – I think he was born with a desire.
He sacrificed himself to be the best. I remember we were playing Arsenal on Saturday and it was pouring rain at Carrington. I said to him, and you know he would always practice after training, and I said, ‘In. We’ve got a game tomorrow and it’s too wet. The ground is too soft.
So I went into my office, looked out of the window and what did he do? He went on the Astroturf. I did not argue! I couldn’t say anything to him. He’s beat me.”
Ferguson on Ronaldo leaving for Madrid
Ferguson said he did not stand in the way of Ronaldo’s departure in 2009. He reasoned his statement, saying, Ronaldo always dreamt of playing for Real Madrid. The Portuguese forward left Manchester United for Real Madrid in the summer of 2009.
“I was not against that, six years was great for a boy from Madeira, getting him here just after his 18th birthday,
I knew [how good he would become]. Absolutely. I knew that. When he got to that kind of platform at Real Madrid. To be fair to Real, they are one club that has produced world-class players for years and years and won the European cup so many times, 13 or something. You’ve got to give them credit – it is a platform where any great player would love to go to.”
