"It was a lot of fun" - Gerard Pique reveals what ex-Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo always did after arriving for training

Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo's face-off with Gerard Pique was one of El Clasico's talking points for many years during the Portuguese's time in Spain. The rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona has been such an entertaining and fierce contest that people sometimes nearly forget these players can get along off the pitch.

Pique will go down as a legend in the Catalan club's history for his dedicated service and contribution to them. But so often people forget that before he made his first appearance for the Barcelona senior team, he shared the dressing room at Old Trafford with Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Spaniard joined Manchester United back in 2004 as a 17-year old. The player appeared as a guest on the show The Wild Project and shared his memories from his time in England. He revealed that his heart was always set on excelling at Barcelona but the Red Devils made him an offer too good to be refused.

“At 17 I made the decision to sign for Manchester United, but I never took it for granted that I was going to play for Barcelona. I knew it would be very complicated. When I signed for United I told Barça: ‘If you pay me a third of what they will pay me, I’ll stay’. But Barça said no,” he said.

It was no surprise that Pique was quizzed about his experience as Cristiano Ronaldo's teammate in England. The two shared the dressing room from 2004 to 2008. However, their on-field time together was limited as the centre-back got few opportunities under Sir Alex Ferguson, who stuck with the pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

Nonetheless, the Barcelona defender had an interesting anecdote to share about the Portuguese, who he shares a good relationship with.

"Cristiano Ronaldo? I’ve always had a good relationship with him. When we played together, we met many times with other Portuguese and Brazilian teammates. Ronaldo used the mirror a lot at Manchester United. When he arrived at training, the first thing he always did was look in the mirror. It was a lot of fun,” Pique revealed.

The former Real Madrid striker has been praised for his elite mentality by footballers and athletes all over the globe and Pique is no different.

"Ronaldo’s mentality was sensational at Manchester United, despite being young,” the Spaniard added.

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Manchester United hurt by Cristiano Ronaldo's absence against Leicester City

The Red Devils returned to action in the Premier League after the international break against Leicester City but were unable to strengthen their top-four hopes. Cristiano Ronaldo was absent from the squad due to illness and his absence was clearly felt by Manchester United, who did not possess enough of a goal threat.

Ralf Rangnick's side have failed to win any of their three games in the Premier League where the Portuguese striker has not featured. Still, many people believe that he has been a problem figure at the club and a reason for their struggles.

The game against the Foxes ended in a draw with Fred grabbing the equalizer, but performances like these will not help Manchester United secure the top-four.