“Oh well, I need to go to the bank” - When Sir Alex Ferguson lost incredible bet against Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United
Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson lost a bet with his striker Cristiano Ronaldo about the number of goals he would score in a season. One of Ferguson's most brilliant signings, Ronaldo spent a hugely success six years at Old Trafford in the 2000s.
Arriving from Sporting CP in the summer of 2003 as a precocious teenager, Ferguson moulded him to a world-class player by the time he left for Real Madrid six years later.
The 39-year-old - now the men's game's most prolific scorer with nearly 900 goals for club and country - was coming off three relatively quiet seasons by the staggering standards he's renowned for now.
Scoring six, nine and 12 times in his first three seasons, Ronaldo was set a challenge by Ferguson to hit 15 during the 2006-07 season.The Portuguese would surpass that tally in the Premier League itself, nearly equalling his combined three-season total with 23 strikes across competitions.
The 'landmark' 15th strike that season came from the spot in a Premier League game at White Hart Lane. United eventually beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 as Ronaldo would go on to win his first of three straight Premier League titles.
Ferguson jokingly remarked to Sky Sports' Geoff Shreeves (via Talksport) about penalties not 'counting' before lavishing praise on the Portuguese:
“Penalties don’t count. Oh well, I need to go to the bank, I think. It’s fantastic. The boy is playing great, the courage to play, and he always wants the ball."
Ronaldo's association with Ferguson saw the player winning the first of his five Ballon d'Or titles in 2008.
What Cristiano Ronaldo said about former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson
Cristiano Ronaldo's first spell at Manchester United between 2003 and 2009 saw the then winger score 118 times in 292 games across competitions as he became a world-class player under Sir Alex Ferguson's tutelage.
Acknowledging the contribution of the legendary Scottish boss in his early years, the current Al-Nassr striker revealed that Ferguson was the reason he joined United, calling him a 'father figure':
"As everybody knows, since I signed at 18, Sir Alex Ferguson was the key," Ronaldo told MUTV (as per talkSPORT). "I remember when we played against Manchester when I was at Sporting Lisbon. For me, Sir Alex Ferguson is like a father in football for me.
"He helped me a lot. He taught me many things, and, in my opinion, of course, he had a big role because the relationship that we had, we keep in touch all the time, and he's an unbelievable person. I really like him a lot, and he was the main key for me to be in the position that I am, that I signed for Manchester United."
More than a decade later, Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford - with Ferguson reportedly playing a key role (as per GOAL) - but lasted just one and a half seasons before moving to Saudi Arabia.