'Without Man Utd Cristiano Ronaldo was nothing'

Stuart Telford

• 8 Aug 2023 15:23 BST
• 3 min read

Sir Alex Ferguson's former assistant manager at Manchester United Rene Meulensteen once made Cristiano Ronaldo a video to show him he was nothing without the team.

Ronaldo left United under a cloud last winter, having panned the club in an unsanctioned interview with Pier Morgan, and his since been playing his football for Al-Nassr on a €200 million a year contract.

But he remains a club legend for most Red Devils fans, having racked up 145 goals and 64 assists in 346 games across two spells at Old Trafford, winning three Premier Leagues and a Champions Leagues along the way.

READ: Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr: Goals, assists, results & fixtures

Widely regarded as the best player in the world not called Lionel Messi after leaving United for the first time in his 2009, €94m transfer to Real Madrid, Ronaldo wasn't always the finished article, as Meulensteen recounts in his upcoming autobiography.

"I asked him to watch the DVD [with analysis of his games] three times," Meulensteen said, as recounted by the Daily Star's Cameron Winstanley.

'Without the team, he was nothing'

"The first to just watch. The second to focus on the words and quotes that were said. The third and final time was to analyse the clips and to consider why I'd chosen them.

"The purpose was to sharpen the perspective that he was so important as an individual to make the team achieve what they wanted - but without the team, he was nothing."

READ: Ronaldo on his 'last legs' claims Man Utd legend

Ronaldo continues to dominate the goalscoring charts wherever he plays, the fact he tallies more goals than assists perhaps more pronounced as he has progress from winger to striker in hie later career.

Ronaldo scored 14 goals in 16 Saudi Pro League games last season, but the Knights of Najd still finished five points behind champions Al-Ittihad.

They have since added Sadio Mane, Seko Fofana, Marcelo Brozovic and Ronaldo's former Man Utd teammate Alex Telles to their ranks in an attempt to close the gap.