I was baffled when Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Man Utd – then he left me with cuts and grazes on my leg in training

CRISTIANO RONALDO'S erstwhile Manchester United team-mate has lifted the lid connected playing against him successful training.

Phil Bardsley had galore a conflict against the Portuguese fable arsenic some were youngsters breaking into the broadside successful 2003.

Ronaldo joined from Sporting for £12million earlier that twelvemonth aft catching the oculus of Sir Alex Ferguson successful a pre-season affable against United.

On his accomplishment astatine Carrington, Bardsley told talkSPORT: "He'd travel successful with his quirky small jumper on, with these small braids coming down, and everyone was like, ‘Who's this kid?'

"The first-team players were alert due to the fact that helium played against them successful a pre-season crippled and helium was magnificent successful that game.

"But erstwhile helium came to the club, helium was precise slight, not overmuch English astatine the time, but you could spot glimpses of something."

Full-back Bardsley often went head-to-head with Ronaldo successful grooming to get him up to the velocity of the Premier League.

The 39-year-old, who played 18 times for United, revealed: "It'd beryllium Cristiano taking maine connected and it'd beryllium a lawsuit of maine improving one-on-one defending, portion helium improves his finishing and his attacking play.

"But we'd conscionable travel disconnected and there'd beryllium cuts and grazes down your shins and connected your ankles erstwhile you effort to halt shots and I'm blocking his shots. We some person cuts connected our legs from it.

"It was pugnacious and you cognize what? People speech astir him and astir apt successful his aboriginal signifier helium went down excessively much, which is astir apt right.

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"For a Portuguese subordinate coming to a caller country, a carnal league… but helium was tough.

“His battles implicit the years with Ashley Cole were, from a neutral constituent of view, you conscionable couldn't hold for it.

"It was conscionable tit for tat for 90 minutes and it was large competition, large to watch.

“But I deliberation implicit his vocation arsenic well, those benignant of periods helped him go tougher and stronger."

Ronaldo, who celebrates his 40th day today, went connected to marque 346 appearances for United implicit 2 spells, scoring 145 goals.

And, overall, having deed the backmost of the nett 923 times for nine and country, Ronaldo is convinced helium is the GOAT.

He said: "I americium the champion subordinate ever, I judge that.

"I'm fast, I'm strong, [I score] with my header, with the left, nary 1 has ever been much implicit than me.

“You whitethorn similar Pele, Messi, Maradona, I recognize and respect that.

“If I decorativeness connected 920, 925 goals… it doesn't substance to maine astatine all. I americium the champion successful history. Period.

“If I scope 1,000 goals, great. If not, that's good too. Numbers don’t lie."

As for Bardsley, aft leaving United helium went connected to play for Sunderland, Stoke and Burnley.

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