Cristiano Ronaldo's best and worst managers rated ahead of second Man Utd debut

Cristiano Ronaldo has had a long career in football and is starting a new chapter at Manchester United - a remarkable return to the club he made his name with.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be tempted to throw the 36-year-old straight into the thick of it today against Newcastle but may refrain - usually preferring to wean new players into his set-up.

Regardless, the status of Ronaldo demands that he be the centrepiece of every side he has been in - whether that be United, Juventus or Real Madrid.

There have been some major highs when combined with a manager who knows how to get the best out of him.

Cristiano Ronaldo is back at United after signing from Juventus

But the ones who have not had so much of an idea have not lasted long with Ronaldo's presence almost demanding success or else - so who are the best and worst coaches the Portuguese icon has had?

Best

1. Sir Alex Ferguson

Undoubtedly the best of the best, even Ronaldo still refers to Ferguson as "The Boss" and it is easy to see why.

The Scotsman's United dominated the Premier League and with a younger Ronaldo among their ranks had potentially the best squad the top-tier has ever seen.

Along with the forward, their striking options boasted the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Teves and Wayne Rooney as they steamrolled the league.

In total, Fergie won 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups and three Champions League trophies.

Cristiano Ronaldo developed into a superstar under Sir Alex Ferguson ( Image:

AFP via Getty Images)

2. Zinedine Zidane

The sheer dominance Real Madrid had over the Champions League during Zidane's time in charge is mind-boggling - becoming the only manager to win the tournament three times in a row.

Spearheading that awesome side was Ronaldo, who seemed to just click under the Frenchman's management.

Two of his five Ballon d'Ors were won under the Madrid legend's stewardship, who also landed the 2017 La Liga title - just one of two league trophies he picked up in Spain.

While some may have questioned Zizou's tactics, his ability to command respect from a dressing room full of superstars was probably his best asset at Real and it was no surprise club president Florentino Perez was desperate for him to return just months after his first departure.

3. Carlo Ancelotti

Ronaldo's best season in terms of goals came under Ancelotti, who amazingly won neither La Liga or the Champions League in the season of 2014/15.

But the Portuguese forward could not stop scoring - netting 61 in all competitions - and 48 in the league alone.

Cristiano Ronaldo was fantastic under Carlo Ancelotti

The season before, the Italian did win the Champions League with Ronaldo scoring 17 in the competition - seven ahead of second-placed arch-rival Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Now back at the Bernabeu, it cannot be disputed how class a manager Ancelotti truly is - one of three coaches to win the European Cup three times.

Worst

1. Andrea Pirlo

One of the most terrible seasons at Juventus in recent memory was spearheaded by Pirlo in the managerial hotseat, perhaps unfairly due to his lack of experience.

The Italian midfield maestro was just in his first season as a manager but taking on the Juventus job proved too big a fish to fry last year.

After Juve finished fourth in Serie A - their worst finish in 10 years - that seemed to convince Ronaldo he could not spend anymore time in Turin and demanded an exit in the summer.

Pirlo is a young coach and will surely bounce back but forcing a player like Ronaldo to leave in your first year in charge is not something you want on your CV.

Andrea Pirlo had a shocking campaign as Juventus manager despite having Cristiano Ronaldo

2. Rafa Benitez

In what was a shock appointment at the Bernabeu, Benitez rocked up having hardly lit up Napoli in his last post where he faltered to get them into the Champions League despite their star-studded side.

It did not take long before fans and players alike started to get on the Madrid-born manager's back with problems with Ronaldo spreading in the press.

And once you get on the bad side of the main man at Los Blancos, it is just a matter of time before the axe is wielded.

Benitez lasted just six months before being booted out and replaced with by a certain Zidane, who completely changed the club's fortunes.

3. Maurizio Sarri

In terms of mismatches, there were not many worse in recent memory than when Sarri joined Juventus, despite just winning the Europa League with Chelsea the season before.

Maurizio Sarri was not one of Cristiano Ronaldo's best coaches

But the Italian is known for his intricate tactics and almost mathematical systems rather than catering to the egos in the Juve dressing room - Ronaldo included.

Ultimately, it ended in tears when a miserable Champions League run ended at the hands of Lyon while Ronaldo's questions over his time at the Allianz Stadium began.

However, he ranks higher than Pirlo after actually winning Serie A - though his style of football simply did not suit Ronaldo - who still managed to score 37 times.