Cristiano Ronaldo became one of the best players in the world with the help of Man United coach Mike Phelan.
Phelan was part of Alex Ferguson's coaching crew and the Englishman has revealed he how supported Ronaldo when he arrived from Sporting Lisbon to Manchester at the age of 18.
Ronaldo became an instant hit in the English topflight division for six seasons before he moved to Real Madrid.
Phelan explained that he pushed Ronaldo to do things that he was not keen to initially. I
"Ronaldo stood out," Phelan told The Coaching Manual.
"He was like a sponge. He wanted more (advice from the team's coaches). He challenged you for more.
"We had to try and get Cristiano to be a team player and he got it. In the end he got it.
"There were certain things we did in training that made him do things he didn't want to do.
"Especially when the success came and after he moved to Real Madrid, there were certain things - when observing games at Madrid - that he definitely picked up at Manchester United.
"He was translating that further up the ladder of excellence.
That's important and there's a satisfaction there. "I don't claim to have created Cristiano Ronaldo.
A lot of people have influenced him. But the biggest influence has been himself, his drive has been fantastic."
Ronaldo has won the five Ballon d'Or awards and has made for himself as one of the greatest to have ever played football.
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