MANCHESTER UNITED legend Rio Ferdinand revealed the first time he knew Cristiano Ronaldo was going to be a superstar.
The TV pundit explained how Ronaldo dazzled as an 18-year-old for Sporting Lisbon in a pre-season friendly against United in 2003.
Rio Ferdinand explained how Manchester UNited signed Cristiano RonaldoCredit: Getty – Contributor
He had such an impact that legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson and chief exec David Gill delayed the team bus by an hour as they desperately tried to sign the Portuguese winger after the game.
The match was held to christen the opening of the Jose Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon and United wasted no time in beating off the competition to poach Ronaldo for themselves.
Ferdinand told BT Sport: “He started there.
“We arrived there coming back from America on tour, this was the last leg everyone was knackered, jet-lagged etc and we got asked to play in it late.
“We obviously got there, opened the stadium, we came off that pitch and anyone who didn’t know about Cristiano Ronaldo before we got there definitely did by the time we left.
“When we got to the stadium in the pre-match warm-up, people started, it got around – people saying that kid there, he’s meant to be a superstar.
“Bearing in mind we’d missed out on signing Ronaldinho as well that summer.
Signing Ronaldo
“We were still on the search for a superstar but we didn’t see it coming in the form of a young teenager.
“But by the time the game finished all the players were saying to the manager ‘When are we going to get him?’
“We were sat on the coach after – ‘Where are we going?’ – delayed an hour, want to get home after a big tour.
“And the manager and David Gill, the chief executive at the time, were upstairs doing a deal trying to sign him straight away, great recruitment.”
Rio Ferdinand explained how Sir Alex Ferguson snared Cristiano RonaldoCredit: Getty – Contributor
Fans have compared Ronaldo’s leadership skills with wantaway Barcelona skipper Lionel Messi.
And the 35-year-old Portuguese icon showed off his killer abs while on a luxury yacht holiday.
Ronaldo was joined on board by his parter Georgina Rodriguez with rumours circulating that Paris Saint-Germain could make a shock move for the former Real Madrid man.
Cristiano Ronaldo goes diving on holiday as his camp slam ‘completely false’ rumours of transfer away from Juventus
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
