René Meulensteen: Ronaldo's Man Utd Coach Reveals the Secrets Behind the Sir Alex Era (E337)

The High Performance Podcast

High Performance

Sports, Self-improvement, Mindset, Growth Mindset, Health & Fitness, Non-negotiables, Education, Life Lessons, High Performance

4.8 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 24 March 2025

⏱️ 97 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

René Meulensteen is a highly respected coach best known for his time at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson. Having played a key role in the club’s success, he worked closely with some of the biggest names in football, including Cristiano Ronaldo.

In this episode, René dives into the culture that made Manchester United so dominant under Ferguson and how it has changed since his departure. He shares fascinating insights on leadership, communication, and the tactical brilliance that set Ferguson apart.

René also opens up about his role in shaping Cristiano Ronaldo into a world-class goal scorer. He explains the details behind Ronaldo’s transformation, his work ethic, technical improvements, and the mentality shifts that helped him reach new heights. He also discusses the importance of adaptability in coaching and how being too rigid with tactics can limit a team's success.

The episode offers insights into leadership and communication, with Rene emphasising how crucial these qualities are for managing top players.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Don't forget next week's episodes are available early exclusively on the high performance app.
0:05.0	Out now, Olympic legend Dame Denise Lewis and nutrition scientist, Dr. Sarah Berry.
0:11.7	What we had on the Sir Alex Verges and what of Sir Alex Verges was so keen on and building over so many years at Manchester United was that culture of one togetherness.
0:20.2	And secondly, the culture of winning.
0:22.1	I don't think at this moment in time when United has got the squad that will compete for
0:26.1	Premier League and Champions League which I think they should. And when I sat there and I still see
0:30.3	the ball going and I thought to myself, nah. And he hits it perfectly on the volley, banging it
0:35.3	back in the net. Basically that sums up everything that I felt with United at the time.
0:40.3	That is the voice of Rennie Moolenstein, first-team coach at Manchester United,
0:45.1	during their greatest era under Sir Alex Ferguson, a time when the club won five Premier League
0:49.9	titles and the Champions League.
0:52.2	René has also worked with football icons like Wayne Rooney,
0:54.5	Paul Skolls, Ryan Giggs, and so much more, including a key role in the emergence of Cristiano
1:00.3	Ronaldo. Nadam, you're a red. I know you would have enjoyed this conversation, but it was
1:05.0	deeper than football, wasn't it? It was about culture and creating that culture at United.
1:09.5	Yeah, and René was a key figure of it, Jake,
1:11.5	and he shares with us the insights on Alex Ferguson's golden principles
1:15.5	of how he set up the club.
1:17.8	It takes us into the mindset of Cristiano Ronaldo
1:20.3	and understanding his journey from the very beginning
1:23.2	to being one of the world's greatest footballers.
1:26.4	And he explains why you should never use the word change when you're dealing with elite
	...

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