Sir Alex Ferguson hails 'special player' Cristiano Ronaldo

Though a cruciate injury forced Ronaldo, 31, to leave the pitch early during the Euro 2016 final between Portugal and France on Sunday, he took an active role from the sidelines and emotional scenes ensued as Portugal eventually won the match.

Ferguson, who was there to congratulate the Portugal captain as he picked up his first major international trophy, said to Bild: "He has an incredible desire for football, Cristiano is looking forward to each workout. He always wants to be better, to win. He especially loves these big games.”

The Scot, who managed Ronaldo at Old Trafford between 2003-09 added: "During my time at Manchester United, Cristiano was the player who developed the most. Through much hard work.

"He constantly worked on his shooting technique, with the right, left, his heading ability, his bounce.

"His performance improvement is incredible. And what is remarkable, today's football is so athletic, so fast.

“Usually top players can only play for about five or six years at the highest level, then it's over. Cristiano has been doing this for over 10 years. That makes him so exceptional.

"Every generation has its special footballer, Cristiano is currently."

It’s a respect that apparently goes both ways with Ronaldo having once said of Ferguson, after leaving Manchester United for Real Madrid: “He’s a fantastic person… like a father in football, because he taught me many things. I really miss him.”

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