Cristiano Ronaldo has said he would have been "an imbecile" not to learn from former Manchester United teammates like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rio Ferdinand.
The Juventus superstar name-checked the four ex-United players during a conversation about his development into the world's most prolific goal-scorer. Ronaldo, 34, recently passed the 700-goal mark in his career, having initially arrived at United as a tricky yet inconsistent winger when Sir Alex Ferguson signed him from Sporting Lisbon.
He was asked by France Football how he turned into a deadly goal-scorer and his answer was all about those players he learned from at United.
“By using my brain," he said. "If you’ve got a little intelligence, you look and take example from those who are doing things better than you.
“That’s what I did when I was in Manchester with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rio Ferdinand… if you don’t learn from guys like that, you’re an imbecile.
“The goal isn’t to imitate but to take aspects from those who are the best and adapt it to your own personality. That’s what I did. I had some talent and I watched them."
Ronaldo also named his former mentor Ferguson, who he remains close with, despite the Portuguese forward's decision to leave United for Real Madrid in 2009.
He added: “Sir Alex Ferguson also taught me a lot, and I realised I had the potential to score, not only dribble and pass.
"I started to think of being a complete player without any weakness. I could score with my right foot, my left foot and my head. I’m strong and I’m quick.
“If you have this and a real ethic and a good lifestyle, you can still do it at 34-and-a-half.”
