Sir Alex Ferguson deliberately avoided giving Cristiano Ronaldo the Manchester United captaincy during his first spell at the club due to concerns about Wayne Rooney's reaction, according to former skipper Gary Neville.
The dressing room dilemma
The legendary Manchester United manager faced a delicate balancing act managing two of world football's most competitive talents between 2003 and 2009. During this five-year period, Ronaldo and Rooney formed a devastating partnership that delivered three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Champions League in 2008.
Behind the scenes, however, Ferguson recognised that their fierce competitive nature required careful management. Neville disclosed that when he attempted to resign as captain in 2007 due to injury concerns, Ferguson made his reasoning crystal clear.
Neville's revelation
"I actually went to see Sir Alex in pre-season about the third year I was captain," Neville recalled during a Sky Sports appearance in 2020. "We had an amazing team: Ronaldo, Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Edwin van der Sar."
Neville explained that he told Ferguson: "I don't feel worthy of keeping the captaincy anymore. This team is to a level I can't compete at."
The manager's response was characteristically blunt: "You'll keep that f***ing armband, son."
Ferguson then elaborated that Neville and Giggs would continue to share captaincy duties because appointing either Ronaldo or Rooney would create dressing room friction. "If I give it to Ronaldo, Rooney will kick off. If I give it to Rooney, Ronaldo will kick off," Ferguson explained.
Long-term consequences
This decision had lasting implications for both players' careers at Old Trafford. Although both occasionally wore the armband when senior players were unavailable, neither received the permanent captaincy under Ferguson.
Rooney eventually became Manchester United's official captain in 2014, a year after Ferguson's retirement, succeeding Nemanja Vidic who had taken over from Neville in 2010. He held the role for three years until his departure in 2017.
Ronaldo had to wait until joining Al-Nassr in 2022 to experience regular club captaincy, though he has captained the Portuguese national team since 2008.
The period following Rooney's departure saw four different permanent captains in just four years - Michael Carrick, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young and Harry Maguire - before Bruno Fernandes assumed the role in 2023.
Ferguson's careful management of his star players' egos proved crucial to maintaining harmony within one of Manchester United's most successful squads, demonstrating his exceptional man-management skills.
