MANCHESTER UNITED legend Cristiano Ronaldo worked hard to be the best since a young age as he trained “like an animal”.
That is according to fellow United great Dimitar Berbatov who joined the club from Tottenham in 2008, one year before Ronaldo, 39, left Old Trafford for Real Madrid.
But during their brief spell together, Berbatov, 43, quickly knew the then 23-year-old was destined for greatness as he never missed a training session and showed incredible dedication.
The Portugal captain went on to win a whopping five Ballon d’Or honours as well as the 2008-09 Premier League title with the Bulgaria legend before his departure to Real.
Berbatov told The Telegraph: “We shared a year together, he was starting to grow by leaps and bounds.
“He trained like an animal, he tried his best to be the best. It was nice to see that dedication up close.
“I don’t remember him missing a single training session.”
Berbatov almost never played with Ronaldo as Manchester City came close to hijacking his summer transfer deadline day move to rivals United.
Tottenham accepted an offer from City just hours before the striker finalised his move to the Red Devils.
But the ex-Bayer Leverkusen star ordered his agent to snub Man City and push the deal with United with an X-rated statement.
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Berbatov added: “They wanted to sign me on the last day of the market.
“I told my agent: ‘F**k off, we’re going to United’. Because of the history, the prestige, the players, the manager, the shirt.
“I never had any doubt that Old Trafford was the right decision.”
