The Manchester United defender Gary Neville has said that he has changed his outlook football after playing with the Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo. The 27-year-old Real Madrid player was at the peak of his powers during his time at Manchester United. He had come on at the club as an 18-year-old, who was only known for dribbling.
However, he developed his all-round game to such an extent that he won the world player of the year award before leaving the club for a world record transfer fee of £ 80 million in 2009. He had managed to win all the major trophies with Manchester United before leaving the club.
Gary Neville, who spent his entire career with Manchester United, has said that he changed the outlook of football after playing along with the Portuguese. Neville has revealed that Ronaldo was an extreme source of frustration for him during his early part of the Manchester United career. Neville had previously played with the likes of David Beckham before being acquainted with Ronaldo on the right wing. Ronaldo was consistently accused of falling over at the slightest contact, but years of playing for Manchester United made him a complete player. Neville said that he had to learn from the Portuguese during the final years of his United career.
“I can’t believe anyone has ever seen anything as extraordinary in the Premier League. I know we have had Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona and Gianfranco Zola – and perhaps Henry in his prime came closest – but for two years this was a player on another planet, the best in the world. He would prey on the weak. He is an absolute bully, as Maicon found out for Manchester City in the Bernabeu this season,” said Neville. Neville has started working as a pundit for Sky Sports after his retirement.