Alex Ferguson didn’t have your typical manager-player relationship with Ronaldo.
The winger clearly looked to the Scot as a father figure, and there is little doubt that Fergie always had a soft spot for the man he sold to Real Madrid for a then-record £80m.
The goal-machine we know now is an incredibly vain man, but it seems Sir Alex had no problem with the youngster flexing his muscles and checking himself in every mirror available at Old Trafford, even if some of the player’s team-mates didn’t always enjoy it.
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In a wide ranging interview with the Daily Telegraph, the former Manchester United boss reveals how he is still a big fan of the Real Madrid man
“Dealing with an ego doesn’t bother me. You used to see Ronaldo standing in front of the mirror loving himself. But it was a nice vanity. The players used to throw jockstraps, boots and all sorts at him. It never bothered him one bit.”
“They need to win, these guys: the ones that are cultivating their egos a little bit. You might see a player in a Ferrari and think – what’s he driving that for? But he has to live with that. He’s not going to be driving into town when he’s bottom of the league, or he’s been dropped. Some people can’t judge that. True players can.”
Ferguson also has revealed the real reason for his retirement, and that without it he might still be managing today.