What Cristiano Ronaldo was overheard saying at Man Utd explains why he left the club

Cristiano Ronaldo's confidence in himself perfectly explains his decision to leave Manchester United. The Portuguese GOAT thrived with the Red Devils between 2003 and 2009, winning three Premier League titles and a Champions League.

And when Real Madrid came knocking with a then world-record transfer fee of £80million, it came as very little surprise that Ronaldo opted to part ways with Old Trafford to chase legacy-defining glory with the Galacticos. In the years since, Ronaldo has established himself as one of the world's greatest ever footballing talents.

Hargreaves shared the pitch with the now 40-year-old during his own stint at United, and has revealed that he always knew that Ronaldo was destined for greatness. Speaking on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Hargreaves said: "Ronaldo, I was with him that first year when he won the Ballon d'Or, and we were in the gym and I remember... we were in the gym working out with Mike Clegg, the strength coach, and he was cool and he was doing these mad sit-ups.

"And I remember we had this little break from it and he went, 'I'm going to be the best player in the world this year.' That was in the September, and we won the Premier League and the Champions League and he won the Ballon d'Or. So to see these guys, like...

"People see the finished product and everything that goes with it, but actually, these guys, like they're so elite, not just ability. But I think Mo [Michael Owen] - or Wazza [Wayne Rooney], or Cristiano. All these guys are all amazing players, but their mindset is what's quite special."

Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or in 2008 after a whirlwind season with United, which saw him clinch the Premier League, the Champions League and the Club World Cup. And while the Red Devils were one of the greatest sides in the world at the time under Sir Alex Ferguson's legendary tenure, Ronaldo may have felt that he had achieved everything there was to on English soil.

As a result, he moved on to Real Madrid and instantly hit the ground running, bagging 26 goals from 29 games during his first La Liga season despite missing out on the league title to Barcelona. Fast forward to 2018 and Ronaldo parted ways with Los Blancos with two La Liga trophies, four domestic cups and as many Champions League titles, also claiming a further quartet of prestigious Ballons d'Or.

In total, the striker managed 450 goals and 131 assists in 438 outings for the side, leaving as Real Madrid's all-time top scorer. He then joined Juventus to test his hand in Serie A, where he went on to further bolster his trophy cabinet with a pair of league titles, two Supercoppa Italianas and a Coppa Italia.

A brief reunion with United ensued in 2021, although his second dance with the Red Devils was far less impressive than his first, with Ronaldo ultimately terminating his contract by mutual consent the following November following a fallout with at the time manager, Erik ten Hag.

Ronaldo then joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in 2023, where he has remained ever since. Despite playing into the twilight years of his career, Ronaldo extended his deal with the club this summer and even obtained an ownership stake in the Riyadh-based club.

The star rolled back the years in Al-Nassr's seasonal opener with Al-Taawoun last month, finding the scoresheet alongside Kingsley Coman while Joao Felix stole the show with a hat-trick in the 5-0 decimation. He will now turn his attention to a clash with Al Kholood on Sunday evening.

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