Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese forward officially announced his retirement from international football.
Ferdinand recalled Ronaldo’s first days at United’s Carrington training ground and praised his work ethic:
“Cristiano, a few words from a former teammate to someone I consider a friend. I remember you as a young, small, not particularly handsome and skinny teenager who had just arrived at Manchester United’s Carrington training ground, amazed us and charmed us in training, always wanting to laugh and joke. But you came in and worked, worked as hard as anyone else, if not harder than everyone around you. And when the lights went out, you kept working, always trying to improve by at least one per cent. And in the end, you became the man who left us — don’t forget, we didn’t want you to leave, and I tried many times to talk you out of it. But you left and achieved incredible success, lighting up the whole world with your brilliance, becoming one of the greatest players in the sport and winning countless Ballons d’Or and Champions League trophies. Congratulations on an amazing international career,” Ferdinand wrote.
