"He should be in the circus" - Rio Ferdinand recalls the time when Cristiano Ronaldo left his Manchester United teammate fuming in training

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has shared an interesting story involving Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese captain arrived in Manchester from Sporting Lisbon in the summer of 2003. Playing on the wings, the young Ronaldo was known for his dribbling skills.

While it was usually loved and well-taken by everyone, Ferdinand shared an instance when it irritated their former teammate Ruud Van Nistelrooy. The Englishman said on BT Sport last year (reported via Mirror):

"He (Cristiano Ronaldo) used to get snapped in training but I remember one time, I think it was a good moment for him but he didn’t take it too well. Ruud [Van Nistelrooy] was the man at United at the time. He was the man who scored all the goals."

Ferdinand added:

"Ronaldo had the ball wide and was doing tricks and Ruud was making the run in the box, Ronaldo didn’t pass and Ruud went crazy, screaming. ‘He should be in the circus, he shouldn’t be on the pitch,’ Ruud said, and walked in, off the training pitch, and Ronaldo got upset and angry – ‘Why is he talking to me like that?’"

Speaking about Ronaldo's character and determination to improve, he said:

"He was 18 or 19 at the time. Some kids would’ve gone under and lost confidence. Some would’ve kept doing the same but Ronaldo knew that Ruud might be right and then it became all about numbers, about statistics, goals. What is going to make him the best player in the world?"

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Cristiano Ronaldo's dreams turned to ambitions at Manchester United

It was at Manchester United, five years after signing for the club, that Cristiano Ronaldo won his first Ballon d'Or. It was a statement moment in football history that announced the arrival of a professional winner, converted from a boy with a dream.

Speaking about Ronaldo's ambition, Ferdinand said:

"We used to say to him, take the mick out of him and say, ‘You are not the real No. 7 at the club, you’ve got George Best and Beckham’ and you could see him thinking, ‘How can I derail them?’"

Recalling another incident, the former Manchester United captain said:

"When we were going to a premiere, he was asked, ‘Who’s the best player ever?’ and Ronaldo said, ‘Me’. He’s got an ego but he’s got pride and an obsessive nature and came [to United] as a kid and left as the best player in the world."

The 37-year-old forward returned to the club last summer and scored 24 goals in 38 games across all competitions in his first season back for the Red Devils.