Babb exclusive: Kicking Man Utd star Ronaldo in training; the Sporting CP teammate we all thought was better

Former Liverpool defender Phil Babb has recalled being at the start - literally - of Cristiano Ronaldo's career and giving the now Manchester United striker a dose of "dark arts" as a welcome to the big time.

Babb had two years with Sporting CP, where he left a Primeira Liga winner. And during that stage in his career, the former Republic of Ireland defender was front and centre for Ronaldo's introduction to senior football.

Speaking to Tribalfootball.com, on behalf of OLBG, Babb recalled a teenage Ronaldo being promoted to senior training at Sporting for the first time.

"I remember the season when he joined us into the first team squad and in particular, I remember the first training session because I gave him a little clump in training!" said Babb.

"He was trying a couple of stepovers and as a 30-year-old at the time who had been around the block I had to put a foot in.

"He was this little skinny lad who had a blonde mop just kept running at me, so I had to give him a old school, dark arts tackle and left a bit on him.

"I like to think it changed his career forever after that!"

Babb admits at the time, Sporting actually had higher hopes for another academy graduate.

"You could see he had the tricks and the skills to be a good player, but there was another young player at the time called Ricardo Quaresma who was playing regularly in our first team.

"Cristiano Ronaldo was on the bench and out of the two of them you would have said Quaresma was the better player.

"He had everything, the physical strength of a man at 16 years old, the touch and the pace which was why he ended up moving eventually to Real Madrid.

"He's had a good career in the end."

Indeed Quaresma, who at 39 was still playing last season with Vitoria, can count on Barcelona and Inter Milan among former clubs. He also had a stint with Chelsea.

Babb continued: "But you couldn't really see it with Ronaldo and that's why when people ask me who's the greatest of all time, I say it's him.

"That's because he's had to work at it. From a physical point of view, he's gone from seven stone wet through to a sporting Adonis.

"He's worked at that, that's not a natural given talent to say what Lionel Messi has.

"Messi's centre of gravity and fast feet were God given, or whatever you want to call it.

"People said Messi was brilliant and unstoppable when he first broke through, but Ronaldo wasn't that.

"Technique, skills, sprint work, physique and staying late; all those things he has worked at and done it in different countries.

"For me, that makes him the GOAT in my eyes which might open up a can of worms.

"But when you see where he's come from to what he's achieved, it has been an incredible journey."