Revealed Rio Ferdinand defender Manchester United former England, that he was deliberately provoking Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo to cause crying, in his first period with the team.

Ferdinand confirmed that he used to play table tennis against Cristiano, before starting training sessions at the Red Devils' Carrington training centre.

The British newspaper "The Sun" quoted Ferdinand's remarks, in which he said, "We used to play table tennis every two days before training as part of the warm-up, and I beat him every time."

Cristiano Ronaldo got 'smashed all over the place' by Rio Ferdinand at Man Utd https://t.co/14MqsoX96e

— The Sun Football ⚽ (@TheSunFootball) March 25, 2023

He joked: "I was the best player in tennis, and he was second, just like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, if our match was broadcast on TV, it would have broken records."

Ferdinand continued: "I used to make fun of Cristiano as the youngest in the team, because I win constantly, which makes him cry. We know his competitive nature, he doesn't like to lose even when it comes to a tennis clash."

It is noteworthy that Ferdinand played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo for 6 seasons, before leaving the "Madeira Rocket" towards Real Madrid in the summer of 2009.

The Don appeared in the Manio shirt between 2003 and 2009, then returned again from August 2021, until November 2022.

In total, Cristiano has made 346 appearances for the Reds in all competitions, scoring 145 goals and providing 64 assists.

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The Don also won the Premier League (3 times), the Champions League, the FA Cup, the Club World Cup, two League Cups, and represented them in the Charity Shield (Super Cup).

The "Madeira Rocket" currently plays for Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr, who moved to him late last year on a free transfer, after terminating his contract with Manchester United.

Cristiano is currently with Portugal for Euro 2024 qualifying.

The "Madeira Rocket" became the most participating player with the national teams, after playing the match between Portugal and Liechtenstein, reaching 197 international matches and breaking the partnership with Kuwaiti Bader Al-Mutawa.