Cristiano Ronaldo got upset when his fellow Manchester United players mocked him for his fashion sense as a youngster, ex-teammate says

• Cristiano Ronaldo was very sensitive about his dress sense when he moved to Manchester United.
• That's according to Quinton Fortune, who also says the Portuguese star hated losing in training.

Cristiano Ronaldo is notoriously sensitive when it comes to his performances on the soccer field being criticized.

Well, according to his former Manchester United teammate Quinton Fortune, the Portuguese star can be just as fragile about his dress sense being faulted.

Speaking to Insider this week, South African Fortune — who played for United for seven years and won one Premier League title — spoke about Ronaldo's sartorial choices when he first arrived at Old Trafford as a teenager.

"Any jokes that we made in the changing room about his gear or something, he took it personal," Fortune, who also gained almost 50 caps for the South Africa national team, told Insider.

"It was just the lads and we would hammer each other every day, in the changing room the banter was unbelievable, but he took it personal.

"He would come in these tighter clothes or branded clothes, and we would just tell us like, 'This is Versace.' He was just super, super competitive."

Fortune added that Ronaldo also hated losing on the training ground at United.

"He could not accept defeat or lose. If you beat him one day he would come back tomorrow and he would want to play you again," he said.

"What used to happen to him a lot at the beginning, because he wasn't built as he is now, he could get pushed off the ball.

"That used to really get to him and obviously in that environment, people would take the mick, saying like, 'You're not strong enough.' And that used to eat him, you could see this eating him.

"A few months later, that would never happen again. He went to work out in the gym, he got stronger, and nobody ever pushed him off the ball again."

Though Fortune admits Ronaldo was an "absolute joy" to play with, he said the Portugal international wasn't the best he brushed shoulders with at Old Trafford.

Instead, that title belongs to midfielder Paul Scholes, who the South African described as a "genius."

"All around, Scholes could do the whole thing," he said. "He probably could not beat players like Ronaldo did, but in terms of his vision, his passing range, scoring goals, tackles, keeping the ball for you all day long.

"He just saw everything, before the ball would came to him he had like three or four options. You could give him the ball in any situation and he would find a solution for you."

Insider's interview with Quinton Fortune was facilitated by Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International's award-winning travel program, as part of the launch of its Manchester United Suite of Dreams competition.