‘Cristiano Ronaldo told everyone he knew he would be the best – and he was’

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    Cristiano Ronaldo repeatedly told Manchester United players he would go on to become the best in the world, according to former Red Devils masseuse Rod Thornley.

    The Portuguese forward went on to win his first Ballon d’Or at the club, as well as the Champions League, three Premier League titles, the FA Cup, and two League Cups during his first spell at the club. He was signed from Sporting Lisbon as a raw prospect with the world at his feet.

    Whether it was John O’Shea needing a hefty blast from the club oxygen tank after Ronaldo tore him to shreds, or Roy Keane telling Sir Alex Ferguson to sign him, Ronaldo’s talent blew all of his future teammates away. However, the Real Madrid legend knew he would go on to reach those heights himself – and he never wasted an opportunity to tell people.

    Read More: Cristiano Ronaldo insists 'I'm a better man' as he opens up on Man Utd departure

    “I have to throw Cristiano in there,” Thornley said to the Fore Four 2 podcast, when asked who the best players he ever saw at the club were. “He had five or six years where he just terrorised defences and won games on his own.

    “It was outstanding. An outstanding talent. You knew he was going to go on and be what he was, because he just had that mentality of being ‘I want to be the best’. He used to tell everyone, ‘I’m going to be the best’. He was unbelievable, honestly, he was unbelievable.”

    Where do you rank Cristiano Ronaldo amongst other Premier League legends? Let us know in the comments section below

    Ronaldo went on to seal a record breaking £80million move to Real Madrid, where he went on to win four more Champions League titles, two Copa Del Rey titles and two La Liga titles, before moving to Juventus and winning two Serie A titles.

    But while his United teammates did like and enjoy having Ronaldo in their team, Thornley admitted the Portuguese talisman did sometimes get under people’s skin. “He was well liked, he was a little bit misunderstood,” Thornley added.

    “He’s got that daft mentality of he cannot do anything wrong himself. He’s very full of self-confidence. When he used to come in, in his lairy clothing, I used to hang it up in the middle of the dressing room when they went out to training, just to get on his nerves, and he’d come in and absolutely wipe the floor with me.

    “He’d be like ‘your English dress sense is s***’. It was just to get a laugh out of him.”

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    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • Premier League
    • Manchester United FC
    • Champions League
    • FA Cup
    • Sir Alex Ferguson
    • La Liga
    • Serie A
    • Saudi Arabia

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