This podcast is brought to you by TNT Sports. We're into the business end of the Premier League season now and every point is a crucial one. I can't wait to work across all the action on TNT Sports as the chase for the title continues. One of the most exciting seasons ever in the fight for European places ramps up and the struggle for safety becomes even more apparent.
This is when it gets real. This is when it matters. At this stage of the season, this is where it ramps up, man. And I've been here. I've been here when we've won and it's been like euphoria. And I've been here when I've been brought to my knees. Rewind back to the Aguero goal. No explanation needed, let's move on quickly
Only sport can do this, guys, and feel the highs and the lows of the Premier League running live on TNT Sports. Stream TNT Sports on Discovery Plus or watch TNT Sports channels on EE, Sky and Virgin Media. So, get ready for a thrilling and to the most exciting league in the world on TNT Sports. Subscription required. Age 18 plus. T's and C's apply.
You know, I remember sprinting across in one game in the winter and I took Cristiano out and the manager's gone mad and I've gone, it's a tackle gaffer. And he's gone, I know, yeah, but just take care. He's a, you know, he's a special player.
If you don't know by now, we've got an incredible interview with the one and only Ryan Giggs, which we're releasing on the channel on Friday. Before that though, I wanted to bring you guys a special bit of the chat because it's a subject that I've been getting pelters for it since we discussed it with Joe on a previous pod. There's been a debate raging on the channel in the comments and across socials about who's the better player.
Cristiano Ronaldo or Eric Cantona? I've made my views very clear. Cristiano's record impact and skill makes him head and shoulders above any player for me. And that's no disrespect to Eric, who, listen, as we all know, was an incredible player, incredible talent. But to get a definitive answer...
I wanted to get the details and go behind the curtain with a man who's played with them both. So you'll hear Giggsie deliver his definitive opinion on a subject that's been rumbling, you know that, in the comments all over the place for weeks, along with some incredible insight into his relationship with... I just mentioned him just there and we should spend a little bit of time with one of the most iconic players I think Cristiano Ronaldo in his time at Manchester United.
When you first set eyes on him, what was your feeling? What did you say? Take us back to that moment. What was you in the... Sporting Lisbon. Sporting Lisbon. So we've just been on tour, haven't we? Literally, we come by. I'm a nightmare going from west to east with jet lag.
so i'm praying i'm not playing in this game i'm like please don't i have slept two hours in two days i hope i'm not playing and then i'm not playing i'm right okay i'm falling asleep we're all falling asleep on the bench and then all of a sudden Shayzu unfortunately did get picked is just getting torn to shreds off this lad who looked unorthodox and he was like one minute on the right wing, one minute on the left wing and I'm like
And he looked, you know, he looked a bit upright and he just, he looked like nothing I'd seen before and it's like right foot, left foot.
Oh, who is this? I've never really heard of him. And then, of course, at the end, we're waiting because we've been away for three weeks. Come on, let's go. And quickly it got... communicated to the end to the bottom of the back of the bus that no we're hanging around because we look like we're signing this guy i'm saying like wait as long as you want then i don't mind wait as long as you want did you um
He comes to the United and starts playing and stuff. Did you have any of those moments where you had to speak to him? Because he's playing as a winger then. He's looking up to you. I've spoken to him since. He was always looking up to you and seeing what you were doing. Did you have any of those conversations with him or moments? The first year was hard for him.
But more, I think, and you'd have seen it, more in training, where if he took too many touches, he's getting kicked. And soon, it soon... the penny dropped that i'm sick of getting kicked off me scolzy whoever else because i'm taking too many touches and the gaffer won't give him fouls it's mad that innit was that a conscious thing that the manager had said to like that to you scolzy that
kick the hell out of Santo if he's taking too many touches or if he's trying to take liberty and show him what it's all about. I didn't think he needed to. I think we already did it. I mean, I remember sprinting across in one game in the winter and I took Cristiano out and the manager's gone mad.
and i've gone it's a tackle gaffer and he's gone i know yeah but just to take care you know he's a special player you know but i said he's taking too many touches simple as that so we were you get frustrated playing with him but then all of a sudden penny drop
pre-season, stronger. Do you remember that? Yeah. I'll never forget that. He walked in and I think, you know when Whispers started going around the training, have you seen Cristiano? Yeah. He looked massive. Where's he been? What's he been on? He was mad that, wasn't he? I thought that. And just intelligence just seemed to go up a level as well. So as well as physically he went up a level, mentally he just went on a different...
And that was it. He was just deciding games in training. I'll never forget that. That was one of the big changes, wasn't it? He was intent on deciding the game at the end of training. Mad. When was it that you thought, this is Ballon d'Or, this is one of the best ever now? Was there a moment?
I think it was always in there, but it was just that consistency. And it was like 24, 25 Champions League games he played and that hadn't scored. I think it was against Roma, he scored his first. And then from then on... He basically, and then you start building a team around him. Fletch started playing. To go out and cover him. to cover him and he was deciding games. And when you've got a player like that, he has to decide games when you're sort of building the team around him.
He was just goals and every type of goals, penalties, free kicks, headers, tappings, right foot, left foot, every sort of goal. And he was brave. That's the one thing that... because we'd kick him in training he'd get up and he'd do the same in games he was brave and he would just give me the ball just give me the ball and he got he got He got booted like he didn't believe. In training, in games, and he got up. He was tough. In them moments when you look at him and you go,
You just explained how good he was, how great he was. Where does he rank in players you played with? The best. Is he? Wow. Better than Cantona? No, he's the best. Wow.
and especially because you know when eric called me was 26 you've seen a young lad develop someone who couldn't speak english and just you just have a soft spot because you just see how much what he's had to deal with how much he's come through it he had a tough time at the beginning you know he was diving to get to what where he is and what he's done
And like I say, he's just brave, just so brave and obviously dedicated to the sport as well, which I love because he got everything out of his body and still continues. I hope you enjoyed this little section. You just drop in on Friday. This podcast is brought to you by TNT Sports. We're into the business end of the Premier League season now and every point is a crucial one. I can't wait to work across all the action on TNT Sports as the chase for the title continues.
One of the most exciting seasons ever in the fight for European places ramps up and the struggle for safety becomes even more apparent. This is when it gets real. This is when it matters. At this stage of the season, this is where it ramps up, man. And I've been here. I've been here when we've won and it's been like euphoria. And I've been here when I've been brought to my knees. Rewind back to the Aguero goal. No explanation needed, let's move on quickly.
Only sport can do this, guys, and feel the highs and the lows of the Premier League running live on TNT Sports. Stream TNT Sports on Discovery Plus or watch TNT Sports channels on EE, Sky and Virgin Media. So get ready for a thrilling end to the most exciting league in the world on TNT Sports. Subscription required. Age 18 plus. T's and C's apply.