Rio Ferdinand claims Cristiano Ronaldo is not the best finisher he has played for Manchester United.
Ferdinand and Ronaldo were an important part of United’s side that dominated the Premier League in the late 1990s – winning three Premier League titles, the League Cup and the Champions League at Old Trafford between 2007 and 2009.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 31 goals in the 2007/08 season, tying the Premier League’s single-season scoring record at the time, helping Manchester United win the league and Champions League titles, and win the Ballon d’Or for the first time.
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In a recent interview with ManUtd.com, Ferdinand was asked who the best finisher he played alongside at Manchester United was, and while it wasn’t the record-breaking Portuguese star, overall the answer was not surprising.
Ferdinand said: “Ruud was great for me. I think all the other strikers (who played with him) would agree with that. Gunnar Solskjaer is right there, he’s a thinking finisher. “He’s always calm in his finish, he’s very good at instinctive things, but I have to go with Rudd. “He’s calm and the most ruthless finisher I’ve ever worked with. “
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The Dutchman scored 150 goals in 219 appearances for Manchester United and is regarded as one of the greatest finishers in Premier League history. Van Nistelrooy joined the Red Devils for £19 million in 2001 and was due to move to Old Trafford a year later, but the club pulled the plug on the deal due to concerns about his knee. The next day, he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in training and was sidelined for a year.
However, the star striker joined Real Madrid in 2006 after falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson and left Manchester United under a cloud. In the 2006 League Cup final, the Scotsman left Ruud van Nistelrooy on the bench in place of Manchester United’s starting striker Louis Saha, who was left out of the bench. In his absence, Saha scored as Manchester United beat Wigan Athletic 4-0.
The striker did return to the team, but was completely absent from United’s final game of the 2005/06 season against Charlton Athletic and quickly moved to Los Blancos for £10.2 million, at which time His 30th birthday is just two weeks away.
Van Nistelrooy left Manchester United as the club’s 11th top scorer in history, just five goals behind Paul Scholes. The Dutchman is five places ahead of Ronaldo, who shares 13th place with David Hurd.
The former PSV boss won the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup at United with Ferdinand, who joined from Leeds a year after Ruud van Nistelrooy’s arrival.