Danny Simpson reveals Ferdinand relentlessly teased Ronaldo over private chef at Man United

Rio Ferdinand may be one of Cristiano Ronaldo’s most vocal defenders right now, but former Manchester United teammate Danny Simpson has revealed the ex-England centre-back once spent years winding the Portuguese forward up during their shared spell at Old Trafford.

Speaking to i News, Simpson recalled how Ronaldo’s obsessive approach to diet and fitness — including employing a private chef — made him a target for dressing-room banter. “Look who’s laughing now,” Simpson said. “He copped a fair bit of stick at Manchester United for that. Rio and the rest used to tease him relentlessly. But he knew how to look after himself. That’s why he’s had the career he’s had. He’s the most complete player I’ve ever seen. He would spend hours in the gym after training. Back then, we all knew how good he was. He was just obsessed with being the best.”

The comments come in the wake of Ronaldo’s widely criticised walkout from the Portugal squad during a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, following a dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus over his playing time. Ronaldo has since issued an apology, but the episode has drawn sustained scrutiny from pundits and former players.

Ferdinand has stood firmly in Ronaldo’s corner throughout the controversy, a stance that drew a sharp rebuke from former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher. “People like Piers Morgan and Rio Ferdinand, who are big people in the media whether you like them or not, are embarrassing themselves with the nonsense that they’re coming out with because they know Ronaldo,” Carragher said on The Overlap Daily. “You can know someone and try to look after them, but you cannot defend the indefensible.”

Gary Neville, another former United teammate, offered a more nuanced take. “With Cristiano, it’s difficult because I love him, but I can’t watch what happened at United in his second period and then see him make a statement like that without saying something,” Neville said. “If you love Ronaldo, it makes him more difficult to like; if you don’t like him, it makes you dislike him even more.”

Neville did, however, suggest the damage to Ronaldo’s legacy may not be permanent. “I don’t think it’s irretrievable,” he added. “In another year, when he has retired, we will look back at his greatness and his football, and people might not remember this ending.”