Cristiano Ronaldo and Roy Keane only crossed paths for a couple of years at Manchester United – but it was enough for the Irishman to leave a lasting impact
Former Manchester United player Eric Djemba-Djemba has lifted the lid on the role Roy Keane played in helping Cristiano Ronaldo become a world star.
United greats Keane and Ronaldo’s paths crossed for a couple of years at Old Trafford with the Portuguese bursting on to the scene as a youngster and the Irishman coming towards the end of his time with the Red Devils.
Legendary skipper Keane had a notorious no-nonsense streak with teammates and opponents alike, and Djemba-Djemba has revealed that included the prodigious Ronaldo.
“I can definitely say that Keane was hard on Ronaldo on the pitch and in training, because he wanted Ronaldo to get better,” he told BettingApps.com.
( Image: PA)
“And he knew that he could get so much better, and to get to where he is now.
“Having someone like Keane get angry at Ronaldo has definitely helped him to become the player he has become in the long run.”
Djemba-Djemba also recalled a time when Keane lost his temper at United flop Kleberson – only for the Brazilian to rile his captain further by smiling through the row.
He added: “Roy Keane had a right go at Kleberson! Kleberson looked like he didn’t want to play with his body language, and wanted to play slowly.
“I remember one Champions League game at Old Trafford, we went into the dressing room and Roy Keane was screaming at him!
“He said ‘You need to wake-up! You need to give everything, you need to tackle! Why don’t you want to want to play? You just won The World Cup! What’s happened? You need to play better!’
“It was definitely scary for Kleberson. He was always smiling, and was still smiling when Keane had a go at him, which would have made Keane even more angry.”
