2025-10-16 10:17:40

Cristiano Ronaldo was “definitely the teacher’s pet” at Manchester United, his former teammate Ben Foster has said.

The 40-year-old superstar famously had a close relationship with manager Sir Alex Ferguson, 83, during his time at Old Trafford, and Foster, 42, has now insisted Ronaldo was “definitely” a favourite of Ferguson’s – though never received “preferential treatment” from the head coach.

Speaking with talkSPORT, Foster said: “In the media, Sir Alex would always talk glowingly about Ronaldo, but it was always easy to because he was what he was.

“It was very obvious that he was definitely the teacher’s pet. Definitely a teacher’s pet.

“It wasn’t preferential treatment though, as it was so obvious how good he was, streets ahead of everyone else.

“You didn’t need to give him that, he was just better.”

Foster – who played at Manchester United from 2005 to 2010 – added Ronaldo had “not interest” in having nights out with his teammates, as he was dedicated to staying in the best shape possible for his footballing career.

He said of Ronaldo: “He’s not a drinker. Ronnie has got no inkling to want to get involved. He knew what it was. He knew that there would be people trying to expose him or take pictures or get him in an uncompromising anything. So it just wasn’t something that interested him.

“When it comes to the football and wanting to do it properly and working hard, he’s there, he’ll give you all of that.

“He might not want to get involved off the pitch with all the little bits and bobs but when it comes to football duty, training hard and doing everything professionally, he was top of the list.”

With 948 career goals under his belt and no signs of slowing down, Foster said Ronaldo was a “freak” in the sport due to the level of performance he has at his age.

Foster said: “I think it was Riyad Mahrez, they asked him if he would be playing in the next World Cup in four years’ time and he kind of laughed it off and he said, ‘I’m not Cristiano Ronaldo, come on.’

“But it’s right though, nobody else can do this, what Cristiano has done, this level, maintain this level for this long. He is a freak but it’s good to see.

“What it does go to show is for any young kids out there watching or listening, if you really apply yourself, if you really dedicate yourself and you really want something so badly, you can have such a big longevity in the game as well.”

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