The tragic Cristiano Ronaldo moment that created 'unbreakable' Luiz Felipe Scolari bond

09.02.2022 - 06:43 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Cristiano Ronaldo and his path to becoming one of the greatest ever footballers is not without personal tragedy.

Back for a second coming at Manchester United this season, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has broken countless records throughout his glittering career - and at 37 shows no sign of slowing down.

Winning three Premier League titles during his first stay at Old Trafford - and the Champions League in 2008 - those already dazzling heights were topped in nine years at Real Madrid.

Ronaldo touched back down at United from Italian side Juventus after an eye-catching summer return.

Sir Alex Ferguson is widely regarded as being a father figure to the Portuguese sensation. That relationship gained further significance when Ronaldo's father, Jose, passed away in September 2005.

The tragic news came while the 184-cap international was away with Portugal and the manager who handed him a debut for the national team - football icon Luiz Felipe Scolari - broke it to him.

During an interview with Mail Online, the former Brazil and Portugal manager, who later spent seven months at the Chelsea helm, shed light on how that conversation about Jose's death shaped their own unbreakable bond.

Scolari said: "It was very hard and it was the moment that created a bond between us, a bond that surpasses the coach-athlete relationship.

"When the news got to us, before a game against Russia, nobody knew how to tell him and nobody wanted to.

"So I told them I would do it as I knew how it was to lose a parent. I had lost mine a few years before. It was very sad, but it's the kind of moment that connects us as friends.

"The next day, Cristiano played a marvellous game and returned to Portugal. He had asked to play and said; 'I can't do