Cristiano Ronaldo’s old team-mate Eric Djemba-Djemba opens up on their time at Old Trafford

Cristiano Ronaldo’s former crew-mate Eric Djemba-Djemba has spoken about the shut bond the pair liked when playing at Manchester United – and strategies his aged aspect to gain their first Leading League title in nine seasons now that their legendary No 7 is again.

The forty-12 months-aged has just announced his retirement from football soon after a journeyman vocation that noticed him in Israel, Serbia, India and Indonesia pursuing a four-12 months stint in England with the Crimson Devils and Aston Villa.

Talking to British Gambler ahead of Ronaldo’s homecoming versus Newcastle, the Cameroonian claimed: ‘Oh my God, I am so, so delighted to see Ronaldo again at Manchester United! 

‘I’m primarily delighted for the lovers due to the fact they have been via a really hard time for a several many years, but now it truly is like their son has appear household! Alex Ferguson is the Father, and Ronaldo is the son.’

Djemba-Djemba first arrived across the five-time Ballon d’Or winner in 2003 throughout a helpful amongst United and Sporting Lisbon that has due to the fact gone down in legend as the youthful winger ran Sir Alex Ferguson’s aspect ragged. 

Djemba-Djemba claimed: ‘At whole time we sat in the switching space and just claimed to Alex Ferguson: “We want this dude. We have to have this dude.”

‘I try to remember coming up versus him and striving to kick him, but I couldn’t due to the fact he was just so fast! I couldn’t even pull his shirt. I was so delighted when we signed him so I failed to have to chase him yet again!’

The pair swiftly became shut and spend tons of time off the pitch as very well as on it. 

Djemba-Djemba continues: ‘Every working day, he would get there first so that he could go to the gym before training, then soon after training he’d want to go to the gym yet again! 

‘Sometimes I’d say “Cristiano, let us go again household”, due to the fact from time to time we’d travel to training collectively and I’d travel him or he would travel me, and we’d go to eat at a cafe – he released me to Nandos, and we’d go and have meals collectively – he liked the hen there, and I’d have spicy hen.’ 

‘We’d typically view movies collectively, we appreciated to eat collectively, and went browsing collectively both to Deansgate of The Trafford Centre, and just be visitors in Manchester! 

‘We’d view games collectively at his dwelling and we’d see his mum, father and sister at the dwelling.

‘We failed to engage in video clip games as I failed to know how to engage in, but as a lot football as we would view collectively, I hardly ever noticed him engage in FIFA on the PlayStation. We would view masses of Leading League football at both mine or his dwelling.’

As two young gamers, the pair ended up consistently kept in test by Roy Keane, who did not acquire kindly to some of their trend possibilities. 

‘Roy Keane failed to like our ea
rrings – he was the protector. When we ended up equally young gamers, he could give you a really hard time in the dressing space or in a recreation if you were not jogging,’ according to Djemba-Djemba.

‘He just preferred folks to give every thing, and if you ended up carrying an earring like me or Cristiano, he could give you a really hard time for it if you were not playing at the maximum degree or if you were not offering every thing.’

Despite the fact that Ronaldo was a precocious talent, he could become petulant soon after remaining continually on the conclude of tough procedure by opponents. It has been recommended before that to toughen him up, he hardly ever received fouls versus him in training. 

‘It’s real,’ Djemba-Djemba verified. ‘No fouls would be supplied versus Cristiano in training. That was a large aspect of obtaining him to become the player he is currently.’

A whirlwind Friday late past month noticed Ronaldo’s future swing amongst the blue and pink halves of Manchester, with it seeming likely that the Theatre of Dreams’ former darling could be heading to enemy territory. 

Having said that, by the afternoon on that incredible working day, a fitting return to the club in which he built his identify was entire, with product sales of his No 7 shirt by now breaking information. 

Djemba-Djemba dismisses the concept that Ronaldo would ever have moved to the Etihad.

‘He enjoys Manchester United also a lot to have ever joined Manchester Metropolis. I can say that hand on coronary heart, hardly ever would he be a part of Man Metropolis. 

‘In football you hardly ever know, but I know him and he would not have joined Metropolis. Just picture what would come about if he went to Metropolis – it would be unbelievable, the lovers would want him dead!’

Pep Guardiola’s men concluded twelve factors ahead of their arch-rivals past year to gain a 3rd title in four many years and United have responded with considerable investing in the transfer window, as Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho joined Ronaldo in becoming a member of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s aspect as they prepare for an assault on the crown they have not worn due to the fact Sir Alex’s past year in 2013. Can they do it?

‘Now they have Ronaldo, the whole crew can increase and he will elevate the criteria of the whole crew. 

‘Ronaldo are unable to gain the Leading League on his own, but Varane is a very fantastic signing as very well, and United have a very fantastic crew to check out and gain the league. If I experienced to pick just one crew to gain the league this 12 months, I’d say Manchester United. 

‘Since Sir Alex Ferguson still left Manchester United, this is the finest crew and the finest squad that they have experienced.

‘Ronaldo can have a big affect on the crew in boosting the criteria and I think Manchester United are heading to have a fantastic year.’