When Sir Alex Ferguson made call during half-time to seal Cristiano Ronaldo transfer

Man United's legendary manr Sir Alex Ferguson had an inkling when his side went up against Cristia Ronaldo during a friendly against Sporting CP, that he made a call during interval to get teenr in his squad. Red Devils had spent most of summer chasing Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho, who ultimately chose Barcelona over a move to Old Trafford. Sir Alex Ferguson n, in turn, turned his sights to a certain Cristia Ronaldo, beating Barcelona to Portuguese signature. 

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Cristia Ronaldo MUFC career: Sir Alex Ferguson made a half-time phone call to seal Cristia Ronaldo transfer

Man United faced off against Sporting CP in a pre-season friendly ahead of 2003/04 season, when an 18-year-old Cristia Ronaldo showcased his exquisite talent in first-half, sending John O’Shea packing with his extensive dribbling. Man United had agreed to play a friendly to open Sporting’s new Jose Alvalade stadium with a view to finalising a deal for 18-year-old Cristia Ronaldo. initial plan was to loan him back to Sporting for 2003-04 season.

However, Sir Alex Ferguson was so impressed by teen prodigy, that he called up chief executive Peter Kenyon during interval to ensure Cristia Ronaldo came straight back to Manchester. Kenyon told Daily Telegraph that Sir Alex Ferguson asked him to bring Ronaldo straight to Manchester. Barcelona were also interested in signing Cristia Ronaldo, but Man United's £12.24 million bid showed ir determination to bring Portuguese prodigy on board. 

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Cristia Ronaldo transfer: Cristia Ronaldo MUFC career 

Sir Alex Ferguson's persuasion and faith in Ronaldo's talent saw 18-year-old being handed legendary .7 shirt, which was recently vacated by David Beckham and previously worn by likes of George Best, Bryan Robson and Eric Cantona. Ronaldo went on to make 292 appearances for Man United under Sir Alex Ferguson, scoring 118 goals in process. Portuguese international lifted Premier League title thrice, while also winning Champions League once.

His performances for Red Devils also saw him win 2008 Ballon d'Or. During his time in Premier League, Ronaldo won PFA Young Player of year in 2006-07, before being named PFA Player of Year for next two seasons. After a largely successful stint under Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United, Ronaldo sealed a n world-record £80 million (€94 million) transfer to Real Madrid. 

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(Im Credit: Manutd.com)