One of Cristiano Ronaldo's former Manchester United teammates has claimed that he and the Portuguese superstar were bullied at the Red Devils.
Ex-United academy product Mads Timm spent six years on the club's books between 2000 and 2006, during which he crossed paths with Ronaldo, who joined the Manchester side from Sporting Lisbon in 2003.
In a newly-released book, the former Denmark youth international recalled how the Portuguese winger was initially teased by his colleagues because of his hair and eagerness to impress the coaching staff, although he did end up winning everybody over.
"He was quite extraordinary as a footballer, and as a person," Timm wrote in his book Red Devil, according to The Sun.
"Like me, he was bullied when he came to the club. With his hair – which he soon got clipped – and with his almost acrobatic attempt to impress the coaches.
"He could stand and do 10-15 step-overs before he tried to dribble past the opponent. 'Pass now, just pass, dammit,' shouted Gary Neville and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer constantly to him when we had reserve team matches together.
"The special thing about Cristiano Ronaldo was that he immediately took the fight against the hierarchy. And he won it.
"He was completely indifferent to the rest of his teammates. He gave no room for others. It was 'me, me, me'. Cristiano Ronaldo. CR7."
