Cristiano Ronaldo's text messages to Rio Ferdinand sum up Man Utd icon
Cristiano Ronaldo and Rio Ferdinand were teammates at Manchester United, with the legendary forward, who turned 40 earlier this year, still playing professional soccer
Cristiano Ronaldo is known as one of the greatest soccer players in history, thanks in part to his meticulous preparation before games.
Back in November 2021, Ronaldo was completing his second spell at Manchester United. That month, United was soundly beaten 2-0 by Manchester City at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils unable to make a significant impact on their Premier League rivals.
Before the game, Red Devils legend Rio Ferdinand told The Athletic that Ronaldo had requested footage of his goals against Atalanta. The Portuguese forward, now 40, scored twice against the Italian team earlier that month to salvage a 2-2 draw for United.
Ferdinand, who worked for BT Sport at the time, revealed that Ronaldo wanted to review footage of his two-goal performance in the Champions League game.
Discussing Ronaldo, Ferdinand said: "We just have a good relationship right now. We’ve always stayed in contact. Sometimes it’s been sporadic, and now it’s back to texting most days.
"I’ve always told him when he wasn’t doing well, and I’ve always told him when he’s brilliant.
"Everyone sees me say how brilliant he is because I’m on TV and invariably he produces, so you can’t say nothing else.
"But we’ve had our moments, especially at the club when he was a kid, where you would say, 'You’re doing wrong, come on.'
"Great players, who want to improve, respect that type of stuff."
Despite his hard work, Ronaldo's second spell at United didn't go to plan. He was released by the Red Devils in November 2022 after criticizing the club in an infamous interview with Piers Morgan, going on to play for Saudi club Al-Nassr, where he remains today.
Although Ronaldo's second spell at United ended in controversy, he's still regarded as a legend at Old Trafford for scoring more than 100 goals for the club and helping them win several trophies during his first spell between 2003 and 2009, including three Premier League titles and the Champions League.
Ronaldo went on to play for Real Madrid and Juventus, where he continued to win trophies year in, year out. He's clinched championships in England, Spain, and Italy.
The Portuguese sensation has also won both the Champions League and Ballon d'Or five times.
And he's tasted success at international level, leading Portugal to two Nations League titles and victory at Euro 2016. He's final chance to win the World Cup will be in the United States, Canada, and Mexico next summer.