"He began to cry" - Patrice Evra recalls incident that led to fight between Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy at Manchester United
Manchester United legend Patrice Evra recently shared an incident that led to a fight between Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy at the club. Ronaldo and Nistelrooy shared the dressing room at Old Trafford between 2003 and 2006.
In an interview on the SDS Podcast, former Red Devils star Patrice Evra recalled his first training session at Manchester United after signing for them in 2006. Evra mentioned that the first session ended in 30 minutes due to a fight between his teammates, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
"We were a family, but in training, we hated each other. Playing against Man. United was ten times easier than training with Man. United. In my first training session, Cristiano Ronaldo had just lost his father, and Carlos Queiroz was refereeing a mini-game, and he gave Cristiano a foul," Evra recalled (via Mais Futebol).
He continued:
"Van Nistelrooy turned around and said: ‘Carlos Queiroz is your new father’. Cristiano started crying and a fight broke out between the two of them. Ferguson ended the training session there. My first training session in Manchester was only 30 minutes. Back then we were bullying each other."
Evra notably represented the Red Devils between 2006 and 2014. He retired from professional football in 2019.
When Rio Ferdinand recalled how Sir Alex Ferguson pushed Cristiano Ronaldo to tears during his time at Manchester United
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand notably spoke to BBC Sport as part of Sir Alex Ferguson's documentary in December last year. In his interview, Ferdinand recalled the time when the legendary manager made Cristiano Ronaldo cry in the dressing room.
"We'd been to Portugal and played a couple of games, and he hadn't played well, Cristiano, because he was young, he tried too hard. I remember we played Benfica, and the manager ripped into Cristiano," Ferdinand said (h/t GOAL).
Ferdinand explained that as a budding superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo was more focused on displaying his own skills on the pitch. This did not sit well with Sir Alex at that time. He recalled what the Scottish tactician said after the game:
"'Who d'you think you are? You're coming in here trying to prove to everybody who you think you are, you think you're a superstar'. And I remember Cristiano in tears in the changing room. And I was like, 'This manager doesn't care, man. He doesn't care who you are.'"
Sir Alex Ferguson is credited with bringing Ronaldo to Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon in 2003. The Portuguese legend rose to prominence under the manager's guidance at Old Trafford. He also won his first Ballon d'Or and Champions League title under Ferguson.
"But then look at the player that he [Ronaldo] became. He needed moments like that. And the manager knew that he could be soft and nice with him, but he had to be hard as well to get him to where he got to — the world's best player when he left," Rio Ferdinand said in his interview.
Cristiano Ronaldo eventually left Manchester United in 2009 to sign for Real Madrid, and the rest is history. He returned to Old Trafford in 2021, but his second stint did not end well. After a fallout with then-coach Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo's contract with the club was mutually terminated.
