“It wasn’t suddenly ‘today I’m gonna kick Ronaldo!’” - Cristiano Ronaldo took early Manchester United treatment personally, says ex-teammate

Former Manchester United star Quinton Fortune recently claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo took things personally when he was tackled hard in training after joining the Red Devils for his first stint in 2003. The Portuguese star reacted by working extra hard in the gym and training to get back at his teammates.

Speaking to Liver Casino Games, Fortune stated that Ronaldo's mindset was set from the start and that he wanted to be the best. He said:

"Everyone was kicking Ronnie, but everyone was kicking everyone! Did he take up that challenge personally? Oh my God, the guy went to the gym every day, to train harder – that was all the guys, nothing to do with us pushing him off the ball. If we pushed Scholesy off the ball we'd say 'Scholesly you got weighted', and he'd kick the sh*t out of you two seconds later! He'd kick the crap out of you, and you wouldn't even see him coming!

"But Ronaldo took that personally; 'oh, you're gonna take the p*ss out of me? Okay!' He went away, and a couple of months later, he came back with the most ridiculous body you'd ever imagine. That was his mindset anyway; he wanted to be the best."

Cristiano Ronaldo went on to have a successful spell at Manchester United, winning the Premier League thrice and the UEFA Champions League once in his first stint at the club. He returned for another 15 months in 2021 but that spell wasn't nearly as fruitful as the first.

Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to be the best, claims Quinton Fortune

Quinton Fortune has always been full of praise for Cristiano Ronaldo and his mindset. He spoke to OmniSport back in 2017 and claimed his former teammate was obsessed about being the best at everything. He said (via OneFootball):

"Ronaldo was obsessed with being the best at everything and he deserves everything he's achieving now. I was fortunate to play with him and see how obsessed this guy is with working hard in training and being so disciplined in how he wanted his body to be. He had the desire to win and his talent was unbelievable. You get a lot of talented players who don't have the desire to do the work, but Ronaldo put in the work."

Quinton Fortune and Cristiano Ronaldo played 43 matches together at Manchester United. They combined for just one goal, when the South African star scored the opener in the 2-0 win over Everton in the FA Cup, back in 2005.