FLASHBACK
I shared a year with Cristiano Ronaldo at Man Utd – he trained like an ANIMAL and always tried to be the best
The Man Utd legend almost never played with Cristiano Ronaldo as he came close to a move to Man City
MANCHESTER UNITED legend Cristiano Ronaldo worked hard to be the best since a young age as he trained "like an animal".
That is according to fellow United great Dimitar Berbatov who joined the club from Tottenham in 2008, one year before Ronaldo, 39, left Old Trafford for Real Madrid.
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But during their brief spell together, Berbatov, 43, quickly knew the then-23-year-old was destined for greatness as he never missed a training session and showed incredible dedication.
The Portugal captain went on to win a whopping five Ballons d'Or as well as the 2008-09 Premier League title with the Bulgaria legend before his departure to Real.
Berbatov told : "We shared a year together, he was starting to grow by leaps and bounds.
"He trained like an animal, he tried his best to be the best. It was nice to see that dedication up close.
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"I don't remember him missing a single training session."
Berbatov almost never played with Ronaldo as Manchester City came close to hijacking his summer deadline day move to rivals United.
Tottenham accepted an offer from City just hours before the striker finalised his move to the Red Devils.
But the ex-Bayer Leverkusen star ordered his agent to snub Man City and push for a deal with United with an X-rated statement.
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Berbatov added: "They wanted to sign me on the last day of the market.
"I told my agent: 'F*** off, we're going to United'. Because of the history, the prestige, the players, the manager, the shirt.
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"I never had any doubt that Old Trafford was the right decision."
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