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Cristiano Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and one of two of the best players of his generation.
However, in the early days of his career, the Portuguese then-winger was subject to multiple tough, sometimes brutal challenges as opponents struggled to stop him.
There has been a compilation doing the rounds on social media that compile some of the worst tackles Ronaldo had to endure during his first stint in the Premier League.
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High challenges, cynical slide tackles and even blatant kicks and stomps all make appearances in the two minute and 10 second video.
The first clip sets the tone for the rest of the video, as Ronaldo recovers from getting slide tackled to get to the ball, only to be chopped down by ex-Manchester United full-back Phil Neville in a challenge that saw his studs make contact with Ronaldo's thigh.
There is also a clip of Ricardo Carvalho going in studs up on Ronaldo's ankle in the 2008 Champions League final that almost definitely would not have slid in this day and age with the help of VAR.
The amount of physical abuse that Ronaldo went through in the Premier League was incredibly high, it makes sense as to why Sir Alex Ferguson complained so much about referees' treatment of Ronaldo.
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One challenge that particularly stands out in the video is one from his first season with the Red Devils, where he does a few ball rolls down the left-wing, only to get viciously slide tackled from behind by none other than future teammate Wayne Rooney, who was still at boyhood club Everton.
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A clip from the 2004 FA Cup final also highlighted how much players could get away with before the introduction of VAR.
Ronaldo was taken down after dribbling past two men, and was surrounded by Millwall players who grabbed his face and stepped on his knee while he was down.
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He was clearly targetted by other teams as they struggled to find any other way to stop the tricky winger, but it seems to have strengthened him in the long-term as the Real Madrid legend has put on significant size throughout his career, and has kept his body in unreal shape as he is still playing professional football now at age 38.
Featured Image Credit: Twitter: @UtdEIIisTopics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Premier League, Football
