'He was first to employ a nutritionist, a doctor, a personal physio, a chef’

Rio Ferdinand has waxed lyrical about his former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

The pair played together at Old Trafford from between 2003 and 2009 and the ex-defender was full of praise of the Portuguese star.

Ahead of the World Cup Group B clash between Portugal and Spain, the BBC Sport pundit revealed how much Ronaldo dedicated himself to being a world-class professional.

‘He was the first person I saw employing a nutritionist, a doctor, a personal physio, a chef,' Ferdinand said.

‘ They came and lived in his house more or less, he lived a couple of doors up from me.

'Go into his house it was like a carnival, people walking around, I used to think “wow, what’s going on here?"

'But he invested in himself to become the best in the world and he left Manchester United as the best player in the world.’

Ronaldo, who left United for Real Madrid nine years ago, has won five Ballon d'Ors and it took him just four minutes to open the scoring against Spain on Friday night from the penalty spot.

‘ He is just a ridiculous professional, take the talent and put that to one side, you can have so much talent.

' The mentality is key to everything about Cristiano Ronaldo, to sustain that level across 10- 12 years, five Ballon d’Ors, winning all these trophies that he's got.

'To do that you need a particular mentality, the drive, the determination, to year on year try and improve. That’s what sets him apart. That’s what makes him special.'