CRISTIANO Ronaldo was the reason Sir Alex Ferguson cooled his infamous hairdryer treatment, according to Nemanja Vidic.
The ex-Manchester United defender joined the star-studded Red Devils from Spartak Moscow for £7million in 2006 during the iconic Fergie years, regularly featuring in the same side as Ronaldo.
The pair won the Champions League together in 2008, as well as three Premier League titles and two League Cups before the latter’s then-world record £80million departure for Real Madrid in 2009.
But former defender Vidic says it wasn’t just on the pitch that the Portuguese superstar had a huge impact.
Speaking to his former Red Devils teammate Gary Neville on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet, Vidic highlighted his own relationship with Ferguson, as well as mentioning how he used to shout at all of his players.
That was until he met former Man United star Ronaldo.
Speaking to his former Red Devils teammate Gary Neville on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet, Vidic said: “With the manager [Sir Alex Ferguson], I never had a close relationship.
“If he asked me something I would tell him, but I never had that [relationship]. Rio [Ferdinand] or Fletch [Darren Fletcher] would talk more.
“What he realised – it’s not that he didn’t shout at me because he was scared of anyone, but he realised that with certain players, it would not help if he’s shouting.
“I think he changed that after he shouted at Cristiano Ronaldo. I don’t think Ronaldo took it well – maybe good for the English and British players, but he was careful with the foreign players.”
Vidic, born in Serbia and a former Serbian international, probably benefited from that particular Ronaldo influence.
The defender left Man United in 2014 after racking up 300 appearances, signing for AC Milan at the end of his Red Devils contract.
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