PRIOR The Manchester United prospect Danny Drinkwater acknowledges that Cristiano Ronaldo motivated him to work out.

Drinkwater (33), moved to Leicester in 2011 after starting his career at Old Trafford.

The three-time England midfielder took home the championship in 2016 but then had a poor stint at Chelsea.

Additionally, Drinkwater announced this week that he is retiring from football after going the entire year without a contract.

The £35 millionaire disclosed on the High-Performance podcast how his career at Stamford Bridge was destroyed by wild nights out.

Drinkwater, however, also opened up about his time at United, chuckling when he recalled how Sir Alex Ferguson had given him a clip around the head while he was waiting for lunch.

The star has now disclosed how the late football great Ronaldo motivated him to get stronger both on and off the field.

Drinkwater described how, as a “skinny teenager,” Ronaldo struggled to adjust to the physicality and brutality of Premier League football during his first season at United.

Upon his return the following summer, though, Ronaldo had gained weight “like crazy.”

Ronnie went on to win multiple club and individual trophies at Old Trafford, and the rest is history.