Luka Modric has disclosed that Jose Mourinho once delivered such a brutal dressing-down to Cristiano Ronaldo that the Portuguese superstar was reduced to tears in the changing room.
The Croatian midfielder witnessed the confrontation during their shared time at Real Madrid, revealing the incident stemmed from Ronaldo's failure to track an opposing full-back.
"I saw him make Cristiano Ronaldo cry in the locker room," Modric told Corriere della Sera.
"A man who gives his all on the pitch, because for once he didn't chase the opposing full-back."
Modric, who joined Madrid from Tottenham in 2012 following a £33million transfer, did not identify which specific match triggered the explosive exchange.
The incident recalls a high-profile clash documented by Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague in his Ronaldo biography, which described the pair nearly coming to blows following a 2-0 victory over Valencia in January 2013.
According to Balague's account, Mourinho was furious about Ronaldo's reluctance to track back during that fixture, prompting an angry response from the forward: "After everything I've done for you, this is how you treat me? How dare you say that to me!"
Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho pictured during their time at Real Madrid
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Despite such tensions, Ronaldo's output under the self-styled 'Special One' remained extraordinary, netting 168 goals across 164 matches during their three seasons together at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The pair secured three trophies in Mourinho's opening two campaigns.
The relationship deteriorated markedly in the months that followed, with Ronaldo dismissing questions about his manager's future by stating: "It doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is my future and the club."
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Five things to know about Cristiano Ronaldo | GB NEWSMourinho later addressed the breakdown on Spanish television, explaining: "I had only one problem with him.
"Very simple, very basic, which was when a coach criticises a player from a tactical viewpoint trying to improve what, in my view, could have been improved.
"At that moment, he didn't take it very well because maybe he thinks he knows everything and the coach cannot help him develop further."
Time eventually healed the rift, with Mourinho describing coaching Ronaldo as the "highlight of my career", while the forward named him the finest manager he had worked under, placing him above Sir Alex Ferguson.
Modric described Mourinho as "special" both as a coach and as a person, crediting him with orchestrating his move to the Spanish capital.
Luka Modric worked with Jose Mourinho for just one season at Real Madrid
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"He was the one who wanted me at Real Madrid. Without Mourinho, I would never have arrived," he said.
"I'm sorry I only had him for one season."
Having spent 13 years at Madrid and now playing for AC Milan under Massimiliano Allegri, Modric maintains that Mourinho remains the toughest manager he has encountered.
"Mourinho is very direct with the players, but he's honest. He treated Sergio Ramos and [new signings] the same way. If he had to tell you something, he'd tell you," Modric added. "Honesty is fundamental."