Cristiano Ronaldo has heaped praise on Manchester United manager and former mentor Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scot was instrumental in helping Cristiano Ronaldo realise his potential and become the World’s Best Player in 2008. With Manchester United, before moving to Real Madrid for a staggering £80 million, Cristiano Ronaldo won the Premier League three times (2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09), the 2003/04 FA Cup, the Carling Cup twice (2005/06, 2008/09), the 2007 FA Community Shield, the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. So such praise for the man that made all this possible for Cristiano Ronaldo, by buying him from Sporting Lisbon in 2003 and nurturing his talent, is more than justified.
Ronaldo, which nowadays plays in his favourite Number 7 jersey for Real Madrid, stated that Sir Alex is the best coach in the world. He said that he appreciates the influence that Ferguson had on his career. Ronaldo’s manager is currently Jose Mourinho, which himself has been linked to the Manchester United top job after Ferguson’s retirement. When asked by Metro to compare both managers, Ronaldo’s comments were:
“In some ways, they are alike – they both have plenty of experience and have won all there is to win in football. The only difference that comes to my mind is that one is older than the other. I loved working with Sir Alex. We got on really well and today he is my friend. From where I am concerned, Sir Alex Ferguson is the best coach in the world.”
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the players in contention for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d’Or, which he has already won in 2008. The biggest challenge will come from rival Barcelona player Lionel Messi, as well as World Cup 2010 and Champions League 2009/10 star Wesley Sneijder. When Ronaldo was asked who will win the Ballon d’Or, he said:
“That it a hard question. We will see what FIFA decides this year.”
