Manchester United legend, Ruud van Nistelrooy has come out to say that he made Ronaldo more effective at Old Trafford. He recently revealed that it was clear that CR7 needed help with the development of his talent, so he decided to step in with tough love.
According to him, Ronaldo started in England at 17, so he needed a lot of training and experience to thrive in England, therefore the bigger players like him had to help.
Ruud added that he once took it too far when he promised to make a team-mate cry after one untimely training ground row that occurred in the wake of Ronaldo losing his father, and he apologized for that.
His words, “It was clear what we said in the dressing room. We were saying to each other ‘this kid is unbelievably talented but we’ve got to help him to become effective’.”
“As a 17-year-old boy, he joined United and we played against him in Sporting in pre-season and I remember the manager asking a few of our players ‘what do you think of that kid? We need someone who can get one-on-ones with defenders, create new situations, to dribble’. I remember saying ‘unbelievable talent’.”
“When he joined, that’s what I saw with him. Of course, at 17 you need two or three years to adapt and then… wow… what happened then, he was unbelievable.”
On his promise to make a team-mate cry after one untimely training ground row that occurred in the wake of Ronaldo losing his father, “Everything in the press is going on about that particular incident and also I commented on it, I’m happy to do that again because I know that I was wrong in that situation,”
“I immediately walked into the dressing room and sat next to him and I apologised for my behaviour when I’d calmed down.”
“That frustration is coming from somewhere. Now when you’re 44 you look back on things and you know that when things are going on around you in your private life sometimes it can make you frustrated.”
“In that incident it led to a discussion with Cristiano. But, of course, you need to realise and be big enough to acknowledge that.”
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate