'I've never seen such a hungry young man' - Cristiano Ronaldo proved he wasn't 'exaggerating' with bold claim as Edwin van der Sar reveals talk in star's early Man Utd days

Ronaldo will, without any shadow of a doubt, go down in football history as one of the greatest players ever. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus marksman has scored close to 950 goals in his career at the top-most level, winning five Ballons d'Or, as many Champions Leagues, and breaking countless other records. In a recent interview, legendary former United goalkeeper and Ronaldo's ex-teammate, Van der Sar, revealed the words the young Portuguese told him at the time. 

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Van der Sar said: "Cristiano was incredible; he was always in the gym before and after training. I'd never seen such a hungry young man. He always told me: 'Edwin, I'm going to be the best in the world.' I told him not to overdo it, but he was right."

After winning his first Ballon d'Or with the Red Devils in 2008, lifting four Champions Leagues and becoming Real Madrid's highest goal scorer of all-time, and joining Juventus in 2018, where he scored over a century of goals, Ronaldo famously returned to Old Trafford for a second spell in 2021. After a terrific first season upon returning, in which he scored 18 Premier League goals, Ronaldo had a public outburst against then-head coach Erik ten Hag, during which he was also critical of United. His contract was terminated, after which he crossed continents to join Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. There, he has already scored over a hundred goals and continues to be prolific for both club and country at the ripe old age of 40.

Ronaldo and Al-Nassr will next be seen in action on Wednesday as they kick-off their AFC Cup campaign against Tajik outfit Istiklol.