Former Manchester United centre-back Nemanja Vidic has shed light on his thoughts about Cristiano Ronaldo joining Real Madrid. Vidic and Ronaldo were teammates at United between 2006 and 2009, when the Portuguese left to join Los Blancos.
Together, the duo won three straight Premier League titles and reached two consecutive UEFA Champions League finals, winning in 2008 (beating Chelsea on penalties). Ronaldo played a key role in the triumphs.
On the Rio Presents podcast, Vidic said about his first impression of Ronaldo and his expectations when the Portuguese joined Real Madrid:
“If you remember, when Cristiano Ronaldo first came to Manchester United, he was a bit like Berbatov. He likes to entertain (on the pitch), play good football, show tricks and dribble players. His priority was not scoring goals. But in the last two years of his career at United, he totally changed.
“I thought he was ready to go to Madrid, and I was definitely sure that he was going to do well. But I didn’t expect he was going to do that well for so many years.”
Ronaldo returned for a second spell at Old Trafford in the summer of 2021, but he lasted only 18 months before leaving after mutually terminating his contract, having fallen out of favour under current boss Erik ten Hag.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is now at Al-Nassr, joining the Saudi Pro League giants in December 2022 on a free transfer.
How Cristiano Ronaldo fared at Real Madrid
Cristiano Ronaldo spent a hugely successful nine-season spell at Real Madrid, having arrived from Manchester United in the summer of 2009. In 438 games across competitions, the 39-year-old scored a club record 450 goals.
Averaging exactly 50 goals per season, Ronaldo played a key role in Los Blancos becoming a UEFA Champions League behemoth, winning four titles, including an unprecedented three on the trot. The Portugal captain also won two La Liga titles, among other domestic and continental silverware.
While at the Santiago Bernabeu, Ronaldo carved out many a record. He became the first player to score 100 times in the Champions League and also score that many goals for a single club.
The Portuguese became the first player to win five titles in the competition and remains the only one to score for two winning clubs in the final. Ronaldo had scored in United’s shootout win over Chelsea in the 2008 final in Moscow.
