Speaking to The Sun, Rafael gushed: "Sir Alex Ferguson
is like a father for me. Off the pitch, he is a great and lovely
man.
"He knows perfectly how to deal with youngsters and when to bring
them into the first team. He doesn’t talk much, but when he talks
he says only right things.
"He knows when he needs to be supportive and explain ‘look, you
can’t do that now’.
"However, he also knows how to be really tough when the team is not
playing well."
If Fergie is the father figure, then fellow Portuguese-speaker
Cristiano Ronaldo is playing the role of big brother as far as
breakthrough star Rafael is concerned.
He continued: "Ronaldo is a sensational person: very humble and he
jokes with us all the time. He's not like his superstar
persona."
Asked how he's adapting to the rough and tumble of English
football, Rafael enthused: "English football is the best right
now.
"I’ve always enjoyed physical football, because I am fast, I like
to run, I like to pass the ball quickly and I hate losing.
"Therefore, it was easy to adapt."
