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| Cristiano Ronaldo earned a reputation for diving during his early days at Manchester United |
CRISTIANO ROANLDO needed 18 months to cut out diving at Manchester United, former manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed.
Ferguson signed Ronaldo as a teenager from Sporting Lisbon in 2003 - and the player quickly became known for his dramatic tumbles to the ground.
He scored six goals in his first season in a United shirt and ended his Old Trafford career in 2009 with 118 goals to his name.
And Ferguson says he made the Portugal international the player he is today.
“He [Ronaldo] was the best professional I ever coached but he had his defects at the start,” Ferguson said during a lecture at Stanford Business School.
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| Referees kept a keen eye out for simulation as Ronaldo's reputation grew |
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| Ronaldo (centre) is booked after diving in a match against Fulham in 2007 |
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| Sir Alex Ferguson says Ronaldo (left) has toughened up his act |
“Ronaldo was a player who used to dive but I knew that I could fix that and in a year and a half he changed.
“He learnt discipline and stopped diving even if the press continued to attack him for it.”
Ronaldo is understood to be considering his future at Real after six years in the Spanish capital.
United manager Louis van Gaal wants to re-sign the four-time world player of the year, while Paris Saint-Germain are also interested.
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