Manchester United Legend Pinpoints Game That Changed Cristiano Ronaldo's Career
Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of the greatest soccer players of all time. However, there was a period when things weren't quite working out for the Portuguese superstar.
Back when Ronaldo signed for Manchester United as an 18-year-old in 2003, the former Ballon d'Or winner struggled to adapt to life in the English Premier League.
Per The Daily Mail, during an appearance on the "Football's Greatest Eras" podcast, ex-Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes, who revealed that Ronaldo's teammates lost patience with him on occasion during his early days at the club, highlighted a specific game that completely changed everything for the superstar.
"I always remember a game at AC Milan [in 2005] and he frustrated the life out of me. We were playing them away. But [Gennaro] Gattuso kept running over to him and taking the ball off him and it was doing my head in. He was playing against [Paolo] Maldini anyway, but Gattuso just kept coming over, taking the ball off him, taking the ball off him."
- Paul Scholes [H/T The Daily Mail]
Scholes added that Manchester United players ended up "having a go" at Ronaldo during that last-16 UEFA Champions League tie. He then explained what they told the Portugal international at that moment and how he believes it impacted him.
"'Look, you've got to pass the ball, pass the ball before he gets to you. It's quite obvious what's happening.' And I think it was after that game that he realized and he thought, 'Right, that's the game, that's the biggest stage, I'm going to play him. And I wasn't quite up to speed.'"
- Paul Scholes
Scholes didn't think Ronaldo was "game intelligent enough." However, after that fixture with Milan, the former England international felt the attacker improved various aspects of his game, including his quickness and strength.
Since that Milan game in 2005, Ronaldo has gone on to win a plethora of trophies with Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. He has won the Champions League five times in his career, once with Manchester United and four times with Real Madrid. Ronaldo also notably won the UEFA European Championship with Portugal in 2016.
Ronaldo, who currently plays in Saudi Arabia for Al Nassr, has also amassed a large collection of individual awards, including the Ballon d'Or, which he has won five times.
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