Cristiano Ronaldo left John O’Shea ‘in need of oxygen’ after their first meeting in 2003

Cristiano Ronaldo impressed Man Utd so much in a friendly match in 2003 that the Premier League giants caught him, but he also made his mark on a future teammate.

The Red Devils had traveled to Portugal to help Sporting Lisbon officially open their new home at the José Alvalade Stadium and faced off against 18-year-old Ronaldo.

The Primera Liga team recorded a 3-1 victory over Utd and Ronaldo more than impressed, and Sir Alex Ferguson then agreed to sign the youngster for £ 12.25m.

Several Red Devils stars, including Rio Ferdinand, had urged Old Trafford’s side to move quickly after facing Ronaldo, believing that he would be the next big star.

And it seems that a Utd defender in particular would be delighted to see the Portuguese striker on his side soon, after having spent a steamy time in that friendly.

“We played against Sporting in 2003, we came to rest and John O’Shea must have needed an oxygen tank next to him,” Ferdinand said during a FIFA 20 live match as part of ‘Stay Home. EA SPORTS and COPA90 Play Together campaign.

“He was in pieces and he was sitting there panting. We were telling him to get close to Ronaldo and he couldn’t even answer us.”

“To be fair, me, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt were standing there saying, ‘This kid is amazing, we have to sign him.’

“We got on the bus and we were about an hour and a half late, and then they said they were making a deal to sign Ronaldo now.”

Ronaldo established himself as one of the best players in the world during his stint with Utd before joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 for a world record fee.

And Ferdinand also revealed what helped set the Portuguese superstar apart from the rest, adding: “He was the first player I saw to build a team around him.

“He lived next to me and sometimes I go to his house and see 15 people there. I would say ‘bruv, who are all these people in your house? Aren’t you going to relax?”

“He said ‘that’s my physio, that’s the sports scientist, that’s the masseur.’ I’m thinking ‘Jesus, this guy is crazy.”