Cristiano Ronaldo reveals he struggled to understand Sir Alex Ferguson's accent

Cristiano Ronaldo (L) played under Sir Alex Ferguson for six seasons at Manchester United

Real Madrid icon Cristiano Ronaldo has the utmost respect for former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, but he has admitted he still needs a translator to understand the Scot’s accent, according to Mirror. Ronaldo made a special appearance in the Jonathan Ross Show and he spoke on a number of personal matters.

Old Trafford’s legendary manager is partly responsible for the Portuguese forward’s rise to prominence – he nurtured and guided the player right from his days as an 18-year-old who moved to England. Ferguson saw the huge potential in the boy from Madeira and the Scot wanted him more than any other club, who were also interested in sealing the starlet’s signature.

Ronaldo became a Red Devil and he spent six glorious seasons playing under one of the Premier League’Â?Â?s greatest managers. The pair developed a strong bond and the three-time Ballon d’Â?Â?Or winner even described him as being ‘father figure’ in his life – Â?Â?but that doesn’Â?Â?t mean he always understood every word spoken by the Scot.

Ronaldo thankful for Sir Alex’s contribution to his career and personal life

“I still don’t understand him!” Ronaldo said on the show. “In the beginning, I had a translator, a Brazilian man, of course, basically only for him.”

The former United forward is grateful for the way how his old boss has helped him develop as a player during the key stages of his career.

“He [taught] me in both ways in terms of player, and in terms of personal stuff. I just have to say ‘thank you’ for what he did for me.” he said.

“Especially when I remember the thing that I have [most] in my memories, the time when my father was sick in hospital and we had a tough moment of the season because we had an important game in the Champions League and I said, ‘Coach I need to go to see my daddy’ and I was a key player, I was a very important player.

And he said, ‘Listen, your personal life, your family is the important thing that you have in your life.”

“If you want to go three days, four days, five days you can go.’ This moment is what I keep for me because it was the most important time in my life and he shared it with me. This is why I respect him and for me he's the best coach I ever had.”

Sir Alex Ferguson signed 18-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003

I’m a huge supporter of United: Ronaldo

The 30-year-old has also admitted that he still follows the Red Devils in the Premier League and he has dropped a hint on his future with the club.

Â?Â?“I’m a huge supporter of Manchester United – as I say many times, I’m very comfortable in Real Madrid now, I feel happy.

“But as people know I like Manchester United, I love that club, but [the] future, nobody knows. But right now I feel good and I feel happy in Real Madrid.” he added.

Messi is not my rival: Ronaldo

The FIFA Ballon d’Or ceremony to crown the world’s best player is a few months away and Ronaldo has predicted this year’s winner. He had admitted that his counterpart Lionel Messi could win it due to the fact that he inspired Barcelona to a treble last term but he has insisted that they both share a ‘normal relationship’.

“I don’t have rivals, we have a normal relationship,”Â? he admitted. “We shared this stage at FIFA [for] eight years. No one has done that in the past - only us - so it’s good.”

“I have a good relationship with him, he plays for one club, I play for another club. He won the best for him, I won the best for me. We have a good relationship, we are not home friends but we respect each other.”