Cristiano Ronaldo Congratulates Sir Alex Ferguson Upon Statue Unveiling (Video)

Manchester United honored long-time manager Sir Alex Ferguson on Friday by unveiling a statue of the 70-year-old Scot outside Old Trafford. (Video here.) The occasion was Ferguson's 26th anniversary with United.

Cristiano Ronaldo, a former United player, was unable to attend the ceremony. (And that was a shame, considering some of the outstanding reactions (h/t Yahoo! Sports) elicited from current and former players.) So, instead, Ronaldo sent his best wishes to his former manager via a videotaped greeting.

Ronaldo once called Ferguson his "father in football," so it was no surprise that the Portuguese superstar had nice things to say. Ronaldo played for Ferguson from 2003 to 2009. Here's what he has previously said about the legendary manager (via The Independent):

"

He’s a fantastic person. A human person. He taught me many things. Like I said before, he’s like a father in football, because he taught me many things. I really miss him because I have a great relationship with him.

"

Similar sentiments came through on video. When watching it, one can clearly see how much Ronaldo respects Ferguson.

The clip appears above. It's our Set Piece Video of the Day for this Saturday. Enjoy.

Ronaldo begins with congratulations, then offers an explanation for why he wasn't attending (training, busy schedule). Our favorite part comes near the end, when Ronaldo mentions that he hopes to see Ferguson again soon, "because I need to practice my English, not the Scottish."

What's this? Ronaldo poking fun at Ferguson's accent? Well, we never…

(h/t 101 Great Goals)

Follow @MikeCummings37