'He Remained Last...': Ex-Manchester United Star Reveals Interesting FACT About Cristiano Ronaldo

With an outstanding record of 5 Ballon d'Or awards to his credit, Cristiano Ronaldo generally rules the debate on the best players of all time. Renowned as the world's best top goal scorer, Ronaldo's extraordinary abilities and successes confirm his status as a footballing superstar for decades. However, one of the toughest periods of his career came when he left Manchester United, ending his second stint at Old Trafford, after an alleged altercation with the coach Erik Ten Hag, which led CR7 to publicly criticize the coach before leaving the club on a mutual consent back in November 2022. Given the fact, Cristiano Ronaldo without United is still at the top of his game, scoring weekly with Al-Nassr. On the other hand, Erik Ten Hag and Manchester United continue to struggle in the Premier League and the UEFA Europa League.

Also Read: Will Lionel Messi Outshine Cristiano Ronaldo 's Goal-Scoring Record?

Ex-Manchester United winger reveals Cristiano Ronaldo was an example to everyone at the club

As former Manchester United winger Zoran Tosic emphasises, Cristiano Ronaldo was a role model for younger Manchester United players. Earlier this month Tosic announced his retirement; during his tenure at United he got the chance to share a dressing room with the Portuguese superstar.

From Partizan, Tosic joined Manchester United in January 2009 and spent a short stint working with Ronaldo. Thinking back on his early career and Ronaldo's impact, Tosic spoke with RB Sport (via Tribal Football):

“I remember how I trained with Ronaldo at Man Utd. Cristiano was an example in everything and for all players. After each training, he remained the last. We, all the young footballers, followed him, watched what he was doing and tried to repeat. Shooting, penalties, crosses and everything else.”

Playing for Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed the Ballon d'Or in 2008; he made 346 games and scored 145 goals, adding 64 assists.

Though he missed a penalty in the shootout, clearly distraught as the game finished, he helped United win the UEFA Champions League championship in 2008 by scoring the lone goal in the final against Chelsea.

Ronaldo also had outstanding domestic performance; he won the Premier League championship continuously from 2006-07 to 2008-09. Having 31 goals in the 2007-08 season, he became the league's top scorer. 

Cristiano Ronaldo had six remarkable seasons with Sir Alex Ferguson after his 2003 Red Devils enrolment, then moved to Real Madrid where he kept earning Champions League medals and many Ballon d'Or accolades to become one of the greatest footballers ever to grace the pitch.

He made a shocking return to the club again back in 2021 from Juventus and again went on to become United’s top goal scorer and 3rd best scorer in the EPL, saving the Red Devils from humiliation on a regular basis but during his second season, he left the club and went on to join Al-Nassr for free after Erik Ten Hag became the manager. Well, Ronaldo’s shoes are tough to fill as Manchester United is still struggling to find its glory days.