Cristiano Ronaldo is famed for being a fierce competitor and tireless trainer, but things once went too far when then -Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had to order him to leave the training pitches.
Back then, the routine for United players saw them train in the morning, work in the gym and eat together before heading home in the afternoon. However, Ronaldo was always out training non-stop and his manager feared it could do more harm than good.
Discussing the five-time Ballon d'Or winner and his relentless approach, ex-United star Nicky Butt provided quite the anecdote as part of the book ‘Viva Ronaldo’. "He was the last to leave the building," the former Red Devils star explained.
"In fact, you couldn’t get him off the training pitch as he worked relentlessly on his techniques, as we all walking off he was carrying a bag of balls to work on those techniques.
"We would be having lunch in the canteen or getting ready to go home and you could hear the voice of Sir Alex bellowing across the training fields at two or three o’clock in the afternoon, shouting at Cristiano that it was time to get off the pitch as 'we have a game in two days - enough now!'"
The story certainly makes for interesting reading with the added context of Ronaldo's current United problems. The 37-year-old has made little secret of his desire to leave Old Trafford with a year still left to run on the two-year deal he signed 12 months ago.
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In a surprising twist, Ronaldo's 'come and get me' plea to the rest of European football's elite has been ignored - leaving him with little choice but to spend another year at United. Resigned to his fate, Mirror Football understands the forward has been flying in training.
Despite this, manager Erik ten Hag opted against naming Ronaldo in his starting eleven for United's first game of the season last Sunday at home to Brighton. Instead, he was introduced off the bench just after half-time and quickly created a glorious chance for Marcus Rashford, who failed to convert.
The fact United were beaten on home turf by the Seagulls for the first time in more than four decades may actually help Ronaldo's cause; if that's how his teammates fare without him, surely it's only a matter of time before Ten Hag concedes defeat and selects his wantaway talisman.
