"He physically jumped towards me" - Broadcaster reveals Sir Alex Ferguson tried to attack him as he interviewed Cristiano Ronaldo
Geoff Shreeves has revealed that he got into a physical altercation with Manchester United's legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson because of an interview with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The legendary Sky Sports presenter said that the Scotsman was not happy with the questions and had to be stopped by Dennis Law's daughter, Di. Speaking to MyBettingSites (via Sportsmole), Shreeves said that he has always tried to push managers and players to the edge during his interviews.
However, only Ferguson got into a physical altercation, while Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger have had frosty exchanges.
"I never fell out with Mourinho," said Shreeves. Pep I've had a few frosty exchanges with, and Arsene Wenger didn't take it too well when I asked him if he thought he might be relieved of his duties after they just lost 8-2 at Old Trafford. That didn't go so well.
"One time, I did an interview with Cristiano Ronaldo, which Sir Alex took exception to, and he had a pop at me. I had a pop back, and then he physically jumped towards me, and a press officer – Dennis Law's daughter – jumped in between us and said 'stop this stop this!'."
He added:
"They were such huge characters. Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Mourinho, along with Pep and Jurgen, they're the five grand dukes I loved dueling with the most.
"When you're going in there to interview them, you're trying to get an answer for your viewers, so it's how far you are willing to push them; a lot of that depends on your relationship with them."
Shreeves left Sky Sports earlier this year after three decades of service. He has interviewed Ferguson after several Manchester United games during the Scotsman's legendary tenure at Old Trafford.
Why was Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson angry with Geoff Shreeves after Cristiano Ronaldo interview?
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was not happy with the questions from Geoff Shreeves.
The legendary presenter also spoke about the interview with Cristiano Ronaldo while in conversation with The Sun and revealed that he had asked the Portuguese star if he went down easily in the bix.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who was new to the Premier League at the time, was not fluent in English, and Ferguson was furious after hearing the interview in the dressing room. He charged out and blasted the reporter, who hit back and asked the manager to calm down, as he was not one of his young players.
Shreeves said that the Manchester United manager came at him immediately and was blocked by Di Law, the daughter of Dennis Law. He wrote a mail to the manager admitting that he was wrong but did not get a reply.