World Cup 2018: How Cristiano Ronaldo won over Roy Keane as soon as he arrived at Manchester United
WITH Cristiano Ronaldo looking to score for a third consecutive World Cup match, it's worth being reminded what his former team-mate Roy Keane first thought of him.
The Manchester United legends spent two-and-a-half seasons together from 2003-2005 before the former Irish international left to join Celtic.
Ronaldo, 33, joined the Red Devils from Sporting Lisbon at the tender age of just 17 after starring against Sir Alex Ferguson's men in a pre-season match.
The squad quickly urged Ferguson to snap up the talented youngster - who immediately made an impression on the hardened United veteran.
Revealing in his 2004 biography titled 'The Second Half', Keane spoke about how he knew the Real Madrid forward was always destined for greatness.
He said: "I liked the lad straightaway. He had a nice presence about him, and a good attitude. What impressed me most was that he’d been given the option of staying in Lisbon for another year, on loan, but he said no.
"He’d come over to Manchester straightaway. I thought it was a good, brave decision - because he was only seventeen. After the first few days, watching him train, my reaction was, ‘This lad is going to be one of the world’s greatest players.’
"I didn’t say it publicly, because I’d always be wary of building a player up too early - or knocking him down. He looked like a player.
"You have to look the part, and he did. Zidane looked like a player - and Ronaldo looked like a player. The shape, the body language - they were there.
"A bit of arrogance, too. But he’d a nice way about him; he was very likeable. We forget that he was very heavily criticised when he first came on the scene.
WE'RE RON THE BALL All the latest action, news, goals and gossip from the World Cup
MOST READ IN WORLD CUP 2018
"He was going down too quickly when tackled, his final product wasn’t good enough. But - again - he was only seventeen, a kid. I was playing youth football for Rockmount, in Cork, at that age.
"He was amazing. He was immediately one of the hardest working players at United. Most of the players I knew worked hard, but Ronaldo had the talent on top of the work rate."
Ronaldo has netted four goals in Portugal's opening two Group H games, and he will be looking to bang in another against Iran tonight.
The Los Blancos ace begged Iran supporters to let him sleep after they tried every trick in the book to stop his red-hot form by banging drums and singing outside Portugal's hotel.