Top 5 managers Cristiano Ronaldo has played under
Cristiano Ronaldo is often considered to be one of the best players of all time. With hard work and determination, he has managed to stay at the top of the game and despite turning 36 last month, is scoring goals at will.
Despite all his talent, like every successful footballer, he needed the guidance of astute managers to deliver top-notch performances on the pitch. From Sir Alex Ferguson to Andrea Pirlo, he has had the fortune to play under the tutelage of a host of distinguished and not-so-distinguished bosses.
Here, we take a look at the five best managers the Portuguese talisman has played under so far.
#5 Fernando Santos - Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo has played under three coaches with the Portugal national team but the only one who is worth mentioning in this list is current coach Fernando Santos.
Santos was Sporting Lisbon coach for a brief period during the 2003-04 season and coached a young Ronaldo in pre-season when the Portuguese outfit played Manchester United in a friendly.
Soon after that game, the then-future superstar was on his way to Old Trafford. Santos again got the opportunity to coach him 11 years later with the national side.
He has been at the helm of A Seleção since 2014. In seven years, he has helped them to their first major silverware in history at Euro 2016, with Ronaldo as the fulcrum of that team.
The duo also went on to lift the first-ever UEFA Nations League trophy three years later.
In the 56 games that Ronaldo has played under Santos, he has scored 51 goals and picked up nine assists, including friendlies.
#4 Carlo Ancelotti - Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti and Ronaldo enjoyed a great relationship during their time together at Real Madrid. It was unfortunate that the now-Everton boss was let go after his failure to lift the La Liga trophy after just two seasons in charge.
The Italian manager led Ronaldo to his second Champions League triumph, which was even more memorable for both of them, as it was the unprecedented tenth title, La Decima, for Los Blancos.
Ancelotti is often given credit for pushing Ronaldo out of his comfort zone and playing him in a more central role. This allowed the superstar to make the most of his goalscoring instincts.
Ancelotti led Madrid to their first-ever Club World Cup title in 2014 as well. Talking about the star in 2016, Ancelotti said:
"You see a different kind of Cristiano Ronaldo when you are the manager of his team. First of all, I never once saw him in front of the dressing-room mirror or worrying about how he looked. For Cristiano the priority was always to win."
With 112 goals and 46 assists in 101 games, it seems Ronaldo sure enjoyed playing under the three-time Champions League winner.
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