Ronaldo was a 'show pony' - Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand said his former Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo has gone from show pony to greatness.
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xiaPHCWQGCrmQjwfherCh4-1000-80.jpg)
Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was a "show pony" when he arrived at Manchester United, according to former team-mate Rio Ferdinand.
Ronaldo equalled Real's all-time goalscoring record with a brace in their 2-0 win over Malmo in the Champions League on Wednesday.
But when he arrived at Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon ahead of the 2003-04 season, Ronaldo was yet to make a name for himself.
And Ferdinand, who was at United throughout Ronaldo's six-season stay at the club, said the Portugal star has developed from a bag of tricks to a true great of the game.
"When he came to Manchester United, he was a show pony," Ferdinand told BT Sport.
"He wanted to do skills, he wanted to show people how good he was and take people on, take the mickey out of full-backs.
"Then he realised it was about end product and to become the best player in the world it would be all about purely scoring goals, or setting goals up for others and having an impact on games. He's forced himself to become that guy.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
"He's been relentless season upon season, raising the bar. That's greatness right there."
Ronaldo could surpass Raul's mark of 323 goals for Real when they visit rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
![LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 5: Arne Slot Manager of Liverpool congratulates Mohamed Salah of Liverpool after the 4-0 victory during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between Liverpool FC and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Anfield on November 5, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q3ie7X2vDDiU7X6C9HVRK7-840-80.jpg)
‘The pure simplicity of the way Slot has managed the squad is probably the biggest thing I could say about him. It’s not broken, so let’s get on with it’: Liverpool legend full of admiration for Jurgen Klopp's successor at Anfield
![CARDIFF, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 02: Wales captain Ryan Giggs shakes the hand of manager John Toshack after being substituted on his last International appearance for his country during the Euro 2008 Group D Qualifying Match between Wales and Czech Republic at the Millennium Stadium on June 2, 2007 in Cardiff, Wales. Photo by (Stu Forster/Getty Images)](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ooQ9oNmgvfUUG8TBUhn6BK-840-80.jpg)
‘I trained at Spurs and thought they’d give me a chance. But I received a letter thanking me but saying they didn’t think I was good enough – I was gutted’: How Tottenham missed out on signing Wales legend John Toshack