Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand has recalled the moment Sir Alex Ferguson made Cristiano Ronaldo cry in the dressing room.

The Portuguese superstar, who joined United at the age of 18, had a difficult time under Ferguson at the start of his career. There was a particular moment which stuck with Ronaldo's former teammate Ferdinand.

"We’d been in Portugal and Cristiano hadn’t played well. He was young and tried too hard," Ferdinand told BBC Sport. "I remember we played Benfica, and the manager ripped into Cristiano. He went, 'Who d’you think you are? You’re coming in here trying to prove to everybody who you think you are, you think you’re a superstar.' And I remember Cristiano in tears in the changing room.

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And I was like, 'This manager doesn’t care, man. He doesn’t care who you are.' But then look at the player he became, Cristiano needed moments like that. The manager could’ve been soft and nice with him but he had to be hard to get him to where he got to, and that was the best player in the world."

That moment did not have a long-term impact on the Portuguese superstar as he grew closer to Ferguson. "It’s hard to mention just one [moment]," Ronaldo previously told United’s official website when asked about his relationship with the legendary manager.

"There were so many beautiful moments that we had together. Not just winning things. But in my heart I keep the most difficult things. Probably he doesn’t remember, but I will say it because it’s a beautiful story. One day, my father was in hospital, and I was so emotional, very low. And I spoke with him and he said: 'Cristiano, go there for two or three days.'

"We had difficult games [coming up] and I was a key player in that moment. He said: 'It will be tough because we have difficult games, but I understand your situation and I’ll leave you [out] and you can go and see your father.'

"For me, these are the most important things – apart from winning Champions Leagues, to win the Premier League, to win cups and stuff. So I have to appreciate him, because what he said to me, he always did. I have to appreciate that."

Ronaldo spent six seasons at Old Trafford between 2003 and 2009, scoring over 100 goals to help Ferguson to three Premier League titles, three domestic cups and the Champions League. His second stint at the club came in 2021, where he made 40 outings before joining Al Nassr in 2023.