How Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed ‘greatest development’ Man Utd legend has ever seen – with Portuguese superstar becoming ‘best player in the world’

Prolific frontman Van Nistelrooy was already at Old Trafford when the Red Devils snapped up the potential of teenage Ronaldo in 2003. The Dutch striker did not make life easy for his Portuguese colleague, with it revealed that training ground arguments left CR7 in tears.

Ronaldo was, however, prepared to work hard on maximising his talent – with that relentless pursuit of perfection still serving him well at 40 years of age. The all-time great remains a talismanic presence for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr and his country.

Van Nistelrooy is not surprised by Ronaldo’s success and longevity, with the former United star – who is now in charge of Leicester – saying of the hottest prospects that he has witnessed: “There are so many - but seeing a young Cristiano Ronaldo come into the Manchester United dressing room and develop, within three years, into the best player in the world, was the greatest development I've ever seen.

“So if you see how he works, how he lives his life to be the best he can be - that's the elite standard. He came into our dressing room with those standards, and he's said in interviews, I came into that dressing room and I had to live up to those standards every day.

“He was open to learn and improve, and he worked and worked and worked every day, on the pitch, in the gym, in the recovery sessions, in his food, in his treatment. When you have seen those standards at the highest level, and you experience what that is - there are not many players who know that - so I was lucky.

“I feel privileged that I can share that knowledge, and they became my standards. So when I see Cristiano or a 19-year-old Xavi Simons come from Paris (Saint-Germain) on a free - he believed in the pathway at PSV with me as the manager, with the training model we have to improve young players. He bought into it and the rest is history. It's standards and talent combined.”

Ronaldo won the first of his Champions League crowns and Ballons d’Or while on United’s books and has gone on to become the greatest goalscorer that the world has ever seen, with it his intention to reach 1,000 efforts in that department before any thought is given to retirement.