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The Portuguese has admitted that his time at Old Trafford was a "dream" that allowed him to refine "the art of football".

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was the driving force behind Cristiano Ronaldo wearing the famous No.7 shirt.

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The Portuguese star, who now turns out for Real Madrid, has become known as CR7 due to that fateful talk from the Scot when he first arrived at Old Trafford.

Ferguson told the young Ronaldo: “Look, I want you to wear the No.7 shirt,” the player revealed while speaking at a promotional event.

“I was surprised because I knew of all the great players who wore that jersey.”

Ronaldo might have peaked at Real Madrid, but he was already on his way to greatness in England, as he claimed his first Ballon d’Or in 2009.


“It was the start of my successful stage in football,” he added. “I did not only improve my football skills, but also my physique.

“In my five years there, I learned the art of football. We won many things together. It was a dream for me.”

Since moving to Madrid, Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or on four more occasions and is regarded as one of the outstanding players of his generation, along with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.

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