Owen Hargreaves has raved about the elite mindset of one former Manchester United teammate during their time under Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.
The 43-year-old former Manchester United midfielder made a name for himself at Bayern Munich after he came through the German club’s youth academy.
Owen Hargreaves lifted four Bundesliga titles, a Champions League and three German Cups during a successful spell with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
The former Bayern star left the German club in 2007 after legendary former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson snapped him up in a deal worth £17m.
Hargreaves saw success under United legend Ferguson during his time at Old Trafford, including lifting a Premier League title and a Champions League trophy.
However, the former England international’s spell at the Red Devils was plagued with injuries and Hargreaves was released from the club in 2011.
Hargreaves talks up Man Utd legend
Owen Hargreaves signed for Manchester City on a free in 2011, but the former Manchester United midfielder only managed four appearances for the club.
The ex-Three Lions and United star called it time on his playing career in 2012, with Hargreaves later taking up different punditry roles in the sport.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Hargreaves opened up about his experience of crossing paths with United legend Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford.
The former Bayern Munich and City player admitted that he would always see Cristiano Ronaldo “working” during their time under Sir Alex Ferguson.
“I remember seeing him in the gym all the time just working, working, working,” Hargreaves said.
“He said to me one of the first days in the gym, ‘I want to be the best player in the world this year,’ and he hadn’t won the Ballon d’Or yet.
“We won the league and the Champions League and he won the Ballon d’Or.”
Hargreaves on Ronaldo’s ‘mindset’
Cristiano Ronaldo shot to superstardom during his first spell at United after the Red Devils signed him from Portuguese side Sporting CP in 2003.
The 39-year-old Portuguese forward won the first of his five Ballon d’Or awards during his blistering run under former United boss Ferguson.
Ronaldo lifted three Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy, an FA Cup and two League Cups before his blockbuster move to Real Madrid in 2009.
Hargreaves praised Ronaldo as a “machine” and the unwavering commitment that the United and Real Madrid legend had in bettering himself in his career.
“That was his mindset, he planted a seed and it grew,” he continued.
“I’ve got so much respect for the fact he’s still playing the game at his age when we’re all broken and injured in a studio somewhere.
“I’ve got a lot of love and respect for him. I got to see him work every day and I’ve got to see what he puts into his craft.
“He’s just a machine. People look at him and are critical of him for whatever reason and I don’t understand that, he’s an incredible athlete and even better pro.
“So, if you’re a young kid and you want to become great in any walk of life, you might have a skillset but you’re only going to get there through hard work.
“After training, he would get the ball, do step-overs, do free-kicks and then he’d go to the gym and work out and do weights and then he’d go and get in the ice bath and he ate right and he did that every day.”
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