Rio Ferdinand: Cristiano Ronaldo is obsessed – he hears every bad word said about him

Cristiano Ronaldo is aware of everything negative said about him – it’s the reason why he is obsessed with being the best. That’s the view of his ex- Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand, who has declared the 41-year-old is constantly looking to prove his critics wrong. Ronaldo , who is in the twilight of his career, is closing in on becoming the first player in history to score 1,000 goals. Into the final year of his contract at Al Nassr, the veteran forward is just 19 goals shy of reaching the stunning milestone. But while his place in history has already been sealed, having won five Ballon d’Or awards and as many Champions League titles, he hasn’t been without his critics. Who has criticised Cristiano Ronaldo? And as ex-teammate Gary Neville and Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher have found out, you’ll be shunned if you speak negatively about him. He famously snubbed Neville during his second spell at United – blanking him as he greeted Louis Saha and Jamie Redknapp before the Red Devils faced West Ham. Just months before Neville criticised Ronaldo’s conduct by walking down the tunnel early and refusing to come on against Tottenham – Carragher was given the same treatment after suggesting he should have been sold that summer. He was also denied a handshake by Ronaldo, who greeted Neville and Roy Keane, during Sky Sports’ coverage of United vs Liverpool. And speaking on the Sports Breakfast Show, Ferdinand, who won nine trophies alongside Ronaldo during their six-year spell together at the Theatre of Dreams, has insisted he never forgets those that talk ill of him. And the former defender declared that Portugal’s record goalscorer uses criticism as fuel to be the best at everything he does. What has Rio Ferdinand said about Cristiano Ronaldo? After co-host Ally McCoist suggested Ronaldo will be obsessed to reach the 1,000 goal mark, Ferdinand said: “Yeah, he will be obsessed [with getting 1,000 goals], and I think that’s the key word that you put alongside him. “You can talk about ability and goalscorer and all that, the guy is obsessed with being in the best condition, with being the best, with scoring the most goals, with putting his imprint in the game to be legendary. “He’s just obsessed with all these things, he will know that if you’ve said something about him that’s a little bit out of shape or whatever – that something will get his way to him. “He’ll find it and he’ll pick at it and he’ll use that as fuel, and sometimes people can point him and use that as a stick to beat him with. “But he’s not Cristiano Ronaldo without those traits, those obsessive traits to continually fight against any negative comments, any negative spirit that comes around him. “He uses that and I think any young player, you look at and you go, ‘How are you going to make it?’ “It’s not just about being a great footballer, you’ve got to find things that turn you on mentally, that stimulate you to become the best every day and that’s what he does.”