Sir Alex Ferguson regretted bet with Cristiano Ronaldo and came up with excuse not to pay

Sir Alex Ferguson once jokingly refused to pay a £400 bet to Cristiano Ronaldo after he wagered that the Portuguese talent wouldn't score 15 goals in one season.

During the 2005/06 season, Ronaldo had scored nine goals in 33 Premier League appearances for Manchester United, and racked up seven assists as well. So, the legendary Scottish manager told the then-21-year-old that he'd pay him £400 if he scored 15 goals across the next campaign.

By December 2006, Ronaldo had netted 13 goals - including three successive braces in games against Aston Villa, Wigan and Reading. Following this impressive run, the winger told the press that his aim that season was to "beat" Ferguson and score more goals. He said: "To beat the manager is my ambition and I want to carry on. I want to score more goals." Another goal and assist came against Watford in a 4-0 win, and he then hit the elusive 15th goal with a penalty in a 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

However, Ferguson joked that "penalties don't count" in the bet he had placed, before conceding that he'd need to dip into his pocket to pay the then-young star. Speaking to Sky Sports' Geoff Shreeves post-match, Ferguson said: "Penalties don't count... Oh well, I'll need to go the bank."

The United boss then went on to praise Ronaldo's goalscoring form and his tenacity to be involved in every aspect of the game. He said: "It's fantastic, the boy has come on great, he's got the courage to want the ball."

However, he didn't shy away from offering some constructive criticism to keep the young star grounded, adding: "I thought he played in the early parts of the match he was careless but once he got more of the ball and I think he improved because he had more of the ball.

"I think he's that