Gary Neville has explained how “scrawny and erratic” Cristiano Ronaldo frustrated Manchester United before turning into a “machine”.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Portuguese joined Red Devils in 2003Was a tricky winger that didn't track backMorphed into a record-setting forwardWHAT HAPPENED?
The Portuguese superstar was acquired by the Red Devils in 2003 and charged with the task of filling David Beckham’s boots at Old Trafford – as he inherited the iconic No.7 shirt from an England international that had left for Real Madrid.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Ronaldo would go on to tread that transfer path himself, but only after completing a remarkable transformation from lightweight tricky winger into a fearsome record-breaking frontman – with the first of his five Champions League and Ballon d’Or honours claimed while on the books in Manchester.
WHAT NEVILLE SAID ABOUT RONALDO
Gary Neville was initially sceptical, with Ronaldo nothing like Beckham, but has told – brought to you by Sky Bet – of how CR7 transitioned from show pony to all-time great: “When Ronaldo came, he was quite scrawny and had not developed his body. His decision making was erratic, if he should have crossed it, he dribbled, if he should’ve dribbled, he crossed it. He always frustrated the players in the middle, because he’d go to cross it and they’d make the run and then he would turn back. He was all over the place and I actually lost faith with him because he wasn’t delivering in an attacking sense, but he also didn’t run back that much – he wasn’t really helping. Whereas Becks, he was always running back and we were always doubling up – I always had help. It was quite frustrating. In 2006, he scored (against England) and that’s when he knocked us out of the World Cup in Germany. He came back and all of a sudden his physique and his body had changed and that season, in 2006, when we first won the league again, he had a transformation into this machine, and I think he scored 35-40 goals.”
GettyDID YOU KNOW?
Neville added on how Ronaldo has achieved his remarkable longevity, with the evergreen forward still going strong at 39 while younger former team-mates are already retired: “Their body shapes were different [Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney], I say that respectfully in terms of Wazza had more of a square, strong shape. Whilst Cristiano had this physique like a super middleweight boxer, he was in the gym everyday doing pre activation. He would stay afterwards [training] and do all sorts, the ice bath, he had all of the stuff in his house. To be fair, Wazza, if you ask him, liked to drink and go out a little bit, and his body shape was different, but they were both unbelievable players. Cristiano just went on and he is still going on now, you’ve seen what he has got, I mean it's unbelievable.”
