Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has praised former Sporting CP youth coach Aurelio Pereira for discovering him all those years ago.
Ronaldo said Pereira was very happy during their time together at Sporting.
The Al Nasr captain spoke after Pereira was recently honored for his achievements by the Portuguese Football Federation at an awards ceremony in Portugal.
The former Manchester United forward joined Sporting CP’s youth set-up from the Nacional Youth League in 1997.
Ronaldo was coached by Pereira during his time at the academy.
Pereira was the coach who discovered Ronaldo’s talent, along with other legends such as Luis Figo and Quaresma.
“I am very happy that Mr. Aurelio has received this honor. It is well deserved. As you know, it was very important in training, not only for me, but also for many of my teammates. “Mr. Aurelio had a different eye than anyone else and always had the ability to see the stars and help,” Ronaldo said (via Portuguese media outlet Jornal de Noticias).
“He has made me very happy. I know he is in great shape. He is already getting better so I hope he can continue for many years. Send him this message It’s an honor to do this. I hope you enjoy this evening. Give me a big hug, friend.”
Source: dailypost.ng