‘Probably Ronaldo’ – Man Utd owner Ratcliffe explains Rooney snub after Sir Alex admission
Sir Jim Ratcliffe believes Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the history of Manchester United.
Ronaldo had two spells at Old Trafford, becoming a world-class player under Sir Alex Ferguson between 2003 and 2009 before returning in August 2021.
Ratcliffe: Ronaldo is the Man Utd GOAT
The second stint ended in tears, with the Portuguese superstar ripping the club and everyone associated with it a new one.
There is no chance United’s new minority owner Ratcliffe brings Ronaldo back to the club, but he has said that the Al Nassr striker is the greatest player in the club’s history.
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“Probably Ronaldo, I guess,” Ratcliffe said when asked the question on the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club.
“I remember Bobby Charlton a bit, and he was obviously the legend of Manchester United.
“George Best, I suppose, was probably the most naturally gifted player I’ve ever seen play football. But I once asked Alex Ferguson who the best player he had ever coached was, and he said Ronaldo.
“It was the first time I met (Ferguson), actually, at a League Managers Association dinner.”
Sir Alex Ferguson given lifetime membership by Frankfurt
Ferguson, who Ratcliffe mentioned, has been given a lifetime membership by Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt. Random, but we like it.
The 82-year-old scored a hat-trick against Frankfurt in his first game for Rangers, a pre-season friendly in 1967 which the Scottish giants won 5-3.
Ferguson was also a spectator at Ibrox when the two sides met in the semi-finals of the European Cup seven years earlier, the German club winning the second leg 6-3 to complete a 12-4 victory on aggregate.
“That was unbelievable,” Ferguson recalled in an interview published on Frankfurt’s website.
“In the first leg, Frankfurt beat Rangers 6-1. I was at the second leg when Eintracht came to Ibrox with 70,000 spectators.
“Of course we felt hopeful and told ourselves that Rangers could come back. In the end they lost again by six goals.
“I was a Rangers fan and only lived about 200 metres from Ibrox. I also attended the final (against Real Madrid at Hampden Park) and hoped Frankfurt would win as they had beaten Rangers.
“At the time I was 17 years old and played for Queens Park FC from Glasgow. It was a great game. (Richard) Kress scored the first goal. We said to ourselves, ‘wow, a great German team’.
“But then there were (Ferenc) Puskas, (Alfredo) Di Stefano and (Paco) Gento. I don’t think there will ever be another team as charismatic as the Real Madrid team at the time.
“Puskas scored four goals and Di Stefano three. They were fantastic players and the 7-3 win was an incredible game. There was no shame in losing this game. Frankfurt had proven itself in the semi-final against Rangers.”
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