The terrible Cristiano Ronaldo event that cemented Luiz Felipe Scolari's 'unbreakable' connection
The terrible Cristiano Ronaldo event that cemented Luiz Felipe Scolari's 'unbreakable' connection
Before Portugal's match against Russia, Cristiano Ronaldo received word that his father Jose had died.
Cristiano Ronaldo made his Portugal debut under Luiz Felipe Scolari in 2003.
Cristiano Ronaldo's journey to becoming one of the greatest footballers of all time has not been without sadness.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is back at Manchester United for a second season, and he has shattered innumerable records in his illustrious career - and at 37, he shows no signs of slowing down.
Three Premier League titles and the Champions League in his first season at Old Trafford were surpassed in nine years at Real Madrid, where he won three Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2008.
Ronaldo returned to United after an eye-catching summer return from Juventus in Italy.
Sir Alex Ferguson is commonly regarded as the Portuguese sensation's father figure. When Ronaldo's father, Jose, died in September 2005, the bond became even more important.
The tragic news came while the 184-cap international was away with Portugal, and it was broken to him by the manager who gave him his national team debut, football legend Luiz Felipe Scolari.
In an interview with Mail Online, the former Brazil and Portugal manager, who later spent seven months as Chelsea's manager, discussed how their chat about Jose's death created their unshakable friendship.
"Nobody knew how to tell him and nobody wanted to tell him when the news reached us before a game against Russia.
"So I told them I'd do it because I knew how difficult losing a parent could be. I had misplaced mine a few years prior. It was a very sad time, yet it's the kind of thing that brings us together as friends.
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