"He was unbelievable, honestly" - Former Manchester United star hails Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the best players he'd ever seen at the club

Former Manchester United forward Rod Thornley has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player he saw during his time at the club. The Englishman revealed that the Portuguese superstar believed he would become the best and eventually reached those heights.

When asked who the best players he ever saw at the club were. Thornley told the Fore Four 2 podcast:

“I have to throw Cristiano in there. He had five or six years where he just terrorized defenses and won games on his own. It was outstanding. An outstanding talent. You knew he was going to go on and be what he was because he just had that mentality of being, ‘I want to be the best.'"

"He used to tell everyone, ‘I’m going to be the best’. He was unbelievable, honestly, he was unbelievable.”

Rod Thornley also provided an insight into Cristiano Ronaldo's relationship with his teammates during his first stint at Manchester United. The Englishman explained that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was well-liked in the dressing room but was sometimes misunderstood due to his immense self-esteem.

The former Manchester United forward continued:

“He was well-liked, he was a little bit misunderstood. He’s got that daft mentality of he cannot do anything wrong himself. He’s very full of self-confidence."

"When he used to come in, in his lairy clothing, I used to hang it up in the middle of the dressing room when they went out to training, just to get on his nerves, and he’d come in and absolutely wipe the floor with me. He’d be like ‘your English dress sense is s***.' It was just to get a laugh out of him."

During his first stint at Old Trafford, Cristiano Ronaldo won multiple honors, including the Champions League, the Premier League, FA Cup, Carling Cup and others. He also claimed prestigious individual accolades like the Ballon d'Or and the European Golden Boot.

The Portuguese later left the club to join Real Madrid in a world-record deal worth €80 million in the summer of 2009. The attacker returned to Old Trafford for a second spell after leaving Juventus in 2021 but eventually departed for Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr in January.

Cristiano Ronaldo opens up on controversial Manchester United exit

Cristiano Ronaldo has broken the silence on his controversial departure from Manchester United in January. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner admitted that it was indeed a tough phase of his career but insists he is now better. He explained:

“As I said, I went through a bad phase in my career [Manchester United exit] probably for the first time. It was part of my growth. Now I am more prepared and this learning was important, I feel as though I’m a better man.”

Since joining Al Nassr this winter, the Portuguese icon has made 10 appearances for the Saudi Arabian side across all competitions, recording nine goals and two assists.