Gary Neville revealed that when Cristiano Ronaldo first joined, he disappointed Manchester United because of both his appearance and playing style.
- The Portuguese player joined MU in 2003
- He used to be an ineffective winger
- CR7 has transformed into a ‘goal-scoring machine’
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Portuguese star was recruited by MU in 2003, with the task of replacing David Beckham at Old Trafford. He also received the legendary number 7 shirt, after the English player moved to Real Madrid.
PANORAMA
At Man Utd, Ronaldo transformed himself from a colorful, ineffective winger… into a terrifying striker. He lifted the Champions League championship and had his first Ballon d’Or while still playing for the Red Devils.
WHAT NEVILLE SAID ABOUT RONALDO
Initially, Gary Neville was skeptical about Ronaldo’s abilities. He recounted in The Overlap how CR7 transformed himself into a legend: “When Ronaldo arrived, he was quite skinny and his body was not yet developed. He also often made inaccurate decisions. When he needed to pass, Ronaldo dribbles. When he needs to dribble, he passes. He makes the players in the midfield lose patience. Ronaldo doesn’t have a future and I actually lose faith in him , no support. Quite disappointing! In 2006, Ronaldo returned from the World Cup with huge muscles. That season, Ronaldo became a machine . I think he scored 35-40 goals.”
DO YOU KNOW?
Neville also talked about how Ronaldo maintains his high form even at the age of 39: “Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney’s body shapes are different. I don’t mean to offend, but Wazza has a square body, strong muscles. stronger. Cristiano is like a middleweight fighter. He trains in the gym every day, he stays to practice more, takes an ice bath and has all the training equipment at home Wazza likes to drink and go out. Both are excellent players. Cristiano has gone further with his football career and continues to maintain a high level of performance.
RONALDO’S FUTURE?
Ronaldo shows no signs of slowing down, with 42 goals this season for Al-Nassr Club in the Saudi Pro League. He has 206 caps and scored 128 goals for Team Portugal. CR7 is still aiming to attend one more Euro and World Cup in his career
