Cristiano Ronaldo told his former Manchester United team-mate Owen Hargreaves at the beginning of the 2007/08 season that he would win the Ballon d’Or that year – and he went on to claim the accolade
Cristiano Ronaldo once stunned Owen Hargreaves as he claimed he was “going to win the Ballon d’Or this year” – a moment which kickstarted the Portuguese star’s dominance in football.
Hargreaves spent two years at Manchester United with Ronaldo, winning the Premier League and Champions League titles in his first season with the club. After joining in 2007, the English midfielder spent some time in the gym in pre-season preparing himself for what would be an incredible season at United, which is where he got closer to a young Ronaldo.
During an appearance on the High Performance podcast alongside Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes, Hargreaves spoke about his first impressions of the Portuguese superstar, and what Ronaldo – who was just 22 at the time – said that left him in awe.
Hargreaves, 44, said: “I remember Cristiano about where you are on the mat [points at Jake Humphrey], and he wasn’t Cristiano, that Cristiano yet. And he was doing these crazy sit-ups with this medicine ball, coming up and then throwing it, and I was watching him and then he said, ‘I’m going to win the Ballon d’Or this year.’
“And he did at the end of the season – but this was pre-season in the gym, nobody could see [it].”
Hargreaves was taken aback by the young winger, as Ronaldo’s serious period of dominance in football hadn’t really begun yet. However, this straightforward and dedicated attitude was a marker for how the five-time Champions League winner would take on the rest of his glittering career in the sport.
And it turns out Ronaldo’s prediction was correct; after a dramatic penalty shoot-out win against Chelsea in the Champions League final and a two-point cushion against the same club that secured the Premier League title, the United star was awarded his first Ballon d’Or in 2008 – beating eventual rival Lionel Messi and Liverpool’s Fernando Torres to the prestigious honour.
Hargreaves continued to praise Ronaldo’s work ethic that was instilled in the footballer since the beginning of his career, and also pinpointed the culture at United that helped the team achieve greatness like nobody had seen before.
He said: “Everyone looks at him finished now and how he looks and how he plays and the goals he’s scoring, but again you’re doing that every day. Take a guy thats 6’1 with that talent, that work ethic, and you’re going to create gold.
“And so when I saw him putting the work in, I always thought I was a good pro, like before bed I used to do push-ups and sit-ups and stretch for an hour and I just thought that kind of helped me a little but I didn’t do much else.
“And then I met Mike and we were in the gym a lot, which I loved, but then I saw Cristiano. So you put the work in, then you add another layer so then you start to do more, and I just think culture is such a powerful thing and we just had an amazing culture of everybody was talented but everybody wants to get better.”
Since his departure from United in 2009, Ronaldo has gone on to win four more Ballon d’Ors, four more Champions League titles and a host of other accolades, including two La Liga titles, two Serie A titles and the European Championship in 2016 with Portugal. The 40-year-old is still plying his trade in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, and has his sights set on playing at the 2026 World Cup.
Hargreaves had a different path compared to his former United team-mate, as injuries plagued his time at Old Trafford, which eventually led to his departure from the club at the end of the 2010/11 season.
From there, the midfielder spent one year at rivals Manchester City, in the same season that they dramatically won the Premier League on the final day from under United’s fingertips thanks to a last minute winner from Sergio Aguero against Queens Park Rangers.
However, due to Hargreaves only playing one league match all season, he did not qualify to receive a winner’s medal.
Leave a Reply