Cristiano Ronaldo names four Man Utd legends who helped improve his game

Cristiano Ronaldo first rose to prominence on the world stage at Manchester United.

Cristiano Ronaldo has easily staked a claim to be labelled as one of the best footballers of all-time.

But it’s easy to forget he was once a scrawny youngster trying to pave his way into the Manchester United first team.

He did so relatively quickly, but it was only thanks to watching four key Red Devils heroes, he says.

Ronaldo has revealed he watched Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rio Ferdinand day in day out to study how they play and he thinks that because he wasn’t an “imbecile”, he was able to use their traits to become a five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

“If you are a bit intelligent, you look and you follow the example of those who are doing better than you,” Ronaldo told France Football.

“Which is what I did at Manchester with Giggs, Scholes, Van Nistelrooy, Rio Ferdinand…
"If you are not learning from those guys, it’s because you’re an imbecile."
"The aim is not to imitate them, but to take what is better from the best and adapt that to your personality. Which is what I did. I had talent, I watched them.”

Ronaldo says he also owes a lot of his success to Sir Alex Ferguson, under whom he found a natural talent for scoring goals.

He continued: “Sir Alex Ferguson also taught me a lot, and I realised that I had the potential to score, not just to dribble and pass.

“I think that I am a complete player, with no real weak point.

“I can score with my right foot, my left foot, my head… I am strong and I am quick.

“If you have all of that, as well as a real work ethic and live healthily… it is difficult to pass over someone, even at 34 and a half years old.”