"I didn't create Cristiano, but I did mold him

Mike Phelan, who was the number two to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, revealed in an interview on Youtube channel 'The Coaching Manual' that the Portuguese had to change a lot at Manchester United.



That Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players in history is a fact. And Manchester United are part of the reason he is as good as he is today.

The Portuguese's quality has always been there but there is a huge difference between the man who arrived from Sporting Lisbon and the one who left for Real Madrid six years later back in 2009.


Mike Phelan, Alex Ferguson's chief assistant at Man Utd, revealed on 'The Coaching Manual' the big change Cristiano Ronaldo went through to become the star who he is today.

"Cristiano always stood out. He was like a sponge. He wanted more advice from the team's coaches. He challenged you for more," Phelan began. "We had to try and get Cristiano to be a team player and he got it. In the end he got it."

Ferguson's assistant admitted that when he saw Cristiano at Real Madrid, he could tell that Ronaldo had learnt many things at United.

"There were certain things we did in training that made him do things he didn't want to do. He was translating that further up the ladder of excellence," the ex-footballer continued.

To conclude, he stressed that he did not create CR7, but the Portuguese himself did: "I don't claim to have created Cristiano Ronaldo. A lot of people have influenced him. But the biggest influence has been himself."