Footage appears to show Roy Keane call Cristiano Ronaldo a ‘w*****’ and ‘p****’ during Manchester United game
Footage has resurfaced of Roy Keane appearing to call Cristiano Ronaldo a 'w*****' and a 'p****' during a Manchester United match.
Not many United players would have the bark to bring down Keane in the dressing room, not even Sir Alex Ferguson could.
And the former Red Devils captain was renowned for keeping his players in line - sometimes utilising a bit of tough love.
Even Ronaldo was on the receiving end of one barrage of criticism when United took on Southampton in December 2004.
The Portuguese sensation, in his second season at Old Trafford, was gifted an easy chance to score.
Paul Scholes' shot was saved by Kasey Keller, who was parachuted in from Tottenham on an emergency loan, but the rebound fell kindly for Ronaldo.
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Instead of tucking it away, the forward tried to chip the American - blazing his effort over the bar.
And that lit a fire in Keane, who became instantly enraged by his teammate for not tapping in instead.
United were 2-0 up at the time and cruising but that meant little to the perfectionist that is Keane.
Footage resurfaced by Instagram account roykeane_archives of the United legend losing his cool with Ronaldo.
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And it does not take a lip reader to put together what he might have said as he appeared to shout: "Put the ball in the net you f****** w*****. F****** p****."
It is fair to say that the message was received and understood by Ronaldo, who would not make the same mistake again.
Just moments later, the winger volleyed in brilliantly to put the Red Devils three goals up and he was instantly mobbed by his teammates to give him encouragement.
Aged just 19, it was a harsh but valuable lesson for Ronaldo, who adopted the same mentality to become one of the greatest players ever seen in football.
While his strike against Southampton was just one of five in the Premier League for him, he would drastically improve in the years to come.
He went on to score 118 times for United, including winning the first of five Ballons d'Or in his career in 2008.
Real Madrid would then come calling where Ronaldo's legacy was cemented after an incredible nine years where he scored 450 times in 438 appearances, winning four Champions League titles in the process.