Ex-United coach reveals Ryan Giggs’ impact on Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo wanted to emulate Giggs

Speaking to SPORTbible, Clegg hailed Ronaldo as the best he has ever worked with. He said: “Cristiano was the best trainer I ever worked with. I’ve never seen anybody like him. Everything he has got out of football, he deserved it wholeheartedly.”

“He wanted to learn from day one. As a young apprentice, he treated people really well – coaches, team-mates, staff. He did his own stuff that he knew he wanted to do, but he bought into virtually everything that I was doing as well. He was a masterful apprentice, if you like.”

Clegg went on to reveal that the Portuguese wanted to copy United legend Ryan Giggs, adding: “I worked with Ryan and early on in his career he had some injury problems, his hamstring in particular. But he ended up playing until he was 40 and Cristiano is still playing at 41.”

“There’s a reason why these players play for that long. It’s because they had principles that were laid down very early on. When Ronaldo came to United, he said ‘I know Ryan is the one who uses the gym the most, so I want to know everything he does there – but I want to do it better’.”

“So he virtually copied Ryan at the start, but he carried it all on – injury prevention, how to look after yourself following a game, all of these particular details. That’s what set him apart.”

Wayne Rooney just wanted to play football

United’s fabled team of 2007/08 also boasted Wayne Rooney, who would go on to become the club’s record goalscorer. Clegg went on to hail the Englishman as a pure footballer, stating: “Rooney, to me, was just a pure footballer. He just wanted to play football.”

“Wayne recognised that Cristiano was unique, that he was above everyone else. I remember Cristiano was ranked the No.1 player in the world and Wayne was about 17th and I said to him, ‘how are you going to get higher up the list?’ and he said ‘I’m not bothered about that. I play my game, I love the way I play and I’m happy with that’.”

“Wayne was just a total footballer. He was naturally fit, a strong, powerful lad, but he didn’t feel he needed to take on board all of this stuff [power and conditioning]. How lucky was I to be at United at that time, working with those two and all of the other great players there? What a fantastic experience.”

Final Thoughts

Ronaldo registered 145 goals and 73 assists in 345 appearances for United during his career, winning four Premier League titles and the first of his five Champions League trophies. His dedication and zeal for excellence remains exemplary for budding players as well as seasoned professionals.

Featured image Yasser Bakhsh via Getty Images

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