“It was unbelievable” - Patrice Evra names ex-Manchester United star who was more impressive than Cristiano Ronaldo in training
Former player Patrice Evra has named Ruud van Nistelrooy as the most impressive player he had witnessed in training at Manchester United. As far as 'the most dedicated' player is concerned, Evra named five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
Evra joined United in January 2006 and played with several talented players at Old Trafford. Apart from Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy, the Frenchman played alongside Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, and so on.
Among the aforementioned players, Ruud van Nistelrooy is the player with whom Patrice Evra shared the least time at Manchester United. The pair shared the locker room at Old Trafford for just six months, as the former Dutch striker left the club in the summer of 2006, shortly after Evra joined.
Despite the limited time shared, Van Nistelrooy impressed Evra the most in training sessions. The Frenchman recently said on the SDS podcast (via YouTube channel 'SDS'):
“For me, Van Nistelrooy. If we could’ve recorded some of the goals he scored in training, seriously, it was unbelievable. The most dedicated I would say, is Cristiano.”
On Cristiano Ronaldo’s dedication, he said:
“The training is at 10. He will show up at 8 in the shower. He kept practicing.”
Watch here (28:27)
Evra and Ronaldo played together 121 times for Manchester United and combined for two goals. The former defender shared the pitch with Van Nistelrooy 12 times, though they had zero joint-goal participation.
Patrice Evra reflects on what led to a fight between Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy at Manchester United
On the same podcast, Patrice Evra recalled an incident that led to a scuffle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy at Manchester United. He said that at the time he joined the club, training sessions were feisty, where the competition was intense and every player was fighting to prove themselves.
He added that his first training session at the club ended after 30 minutes due to a fight between Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy. Evra said (26:08 onwards):
“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 dad, and Carlos Queiroz was refereeing a mini-game, and he gave Cristiano a foul.”
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.”
Out of the trio, only Cristiano Ronaldo is still active as a player. The Portuguese superstar plays for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
