Rio Ferdinand has shed light on the tension between Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo, which seems to be shared by others.
Ferdinand, a Manchester United stalwart, shared the pitch with the five-time Ballon d’Or recipient for a significant period at Old Trafford.
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Henry, a revered figure in French football, encountered Ronaldo numerous times in matches during his tenure at Arsenal from 1999 to 2007.
Both players are tied for the most direct free-kick goals scored by a foreign player in the Premier League (12) and have each been named Player of the Season twice.
However, Ferdinand, on a recent podcast, discussed the underlying friction between Henry, Brazilian Ronaldo, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ferdinand told Andreas Poke: “The way I see Thierry talk about Cristiano, it’s more what he doesn’t say. He doesn’t talk about him with any zest or spark.
“It’s like he’s downplaying Cristiano a lot. “There was a clip at Highbury when Henry slaps him on the back of his head or something like that and Cristiano pushes him off.
“Cristiano then scored the winner and Henry’s taking the kick-off with the goalscorer in the background.
“There seems like there’s a little bit of a subplot story that maybe makes it with Thierry and it’s probably still in his mind in moments like that.”
Then on Brazilian Ronaldo Ferdinand said: “There’s beef there somewhere you know. It’s cause of the name.
“I think because of the name, as if he says, ‘You took my name,’ so I have a problem with you.”
Stephen Howson added: “Because he was Ronaldo, wasn’t he. Then Cristiano comes along and everyone is referring to him as the “fat Ronaldo” which is disrespectful.”
Ronaldo of Brazil, at 47, boasts an impressive resume with two World Cup victories, three FIFA World Player of the Year titles, and two Ballon d’Or awards. Notably, he clinched his first Ballon d’Or at the tender age of 21, making him the youngest ever to win the accolade.
The illustrious forward’s career spanned several top clubs, including Cruzeiro, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and AC Milan.
In a move that brought his journey full circle, Ronaldo acquired a significant £55 million share in Cruzeiro, the club where his professional journey began, back in December 2021.
