Sir Alex Ferguson has declined to take any credit for turning Cristiano Ronaldo into a superstar.
In 2003, Ronaldo joined Ferguson's Manchester United, where he won the Ballon d'Or in 2008 before moving on to Real Madrid.
But Ferguson, speaking while accepting the Walther Bensemann prize for outstanding work in football on Friday night, said he really had little to do with Ronaldo's development.
"Ronaldo is a perfect example of someone who made himself," Ferguson said. "It's easy for me to say, 'yeah, I made Ronaldo.'
"Many coaches might say I made this player and I made that player, but Ronaldo made himself.
"We just gave him the tools and the platform to excel. His practise ethic was incredible."
Ferguson also said Ronaldo plays on a different level, even when compared to some other United legends.
"He was a fantastic player, he was the best," Ferguson added.
"We had fantastic players in [Paul] Scholes, [Ryan] Giggs, and [Eric] Cantona. We had some fantastic footballers, but Ronaldo was just something else."