Rio Ferdinand has revealed that himself and other Manchester United legends used to 'borderline bully' Cristiano Ronaldo during his upcoming years as a teenager at Old Trafford.
Sir Alex Ferguson tempted Ronaldo to make the move to Manchester from his native Portugal at the age of 18 following an impressive friendly display against the Red Devils while playing for Sporting Lisbon.
He stepped into United's first-team full of trickery but lacking strength and senior minutes, with Ferdinand admitting that it was the job of the club's experienced pros to toughen Ronaldo up for the physicality of the English top-flight.