Cristiano Ronaldo was an icon at Manchester United, but as he rose to superstardom he always had time for one member of staff.
Kath Phipps, an adored member of the Red Devils staff, passed away on Thursday (December 5), with United posting an emotional statement on social media. It read: “Kath was a one-woman institution, whose memory will be cherished by everyone at the club who had the privilege of knowing her.”
Kath had a special relationship with Ronaldo, according to Sky Sports presenter Hayley McQueen. Speaking to The 42 in 2016, McQueen opened up about her experiences with United players: “Ronaldo was a dream.
READ MORE: Man Utd legend Kath Phipps ‘adored’ by Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney dies as club mourns
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“I know he gets stick, because he loves himself, he loves being out there. Every interview that was ever requested of him he did and more. He would come in in the morning and make Kath a cup of tea. That is a fact. She loved him. He was brilliant. He’s fun and he’s dry and he’s got a good sense of humour!”
Phipps was an omnipresent figure at United since the late 1960s, and worked for the club for over 55 years in a variety of roles. A childhood United fan, Phipps became the club’s switchboard operator in 1968, shortly after the team’s first European Cup success.
(Image: @Old Trafford/Instagram)
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She went on to forge close friendships with the likes of Sir Matt Busby, Ballon d’Or winners George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law, and also Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney.
Tributes from United icons flooded in on social media for the adored member of staff. Beckham – who had Kath appear in his Netflix documentary – paid tribute to her afterwards saying the “amazing” receptionist.
He said she used to be “the first person I would see when I walked into the training ground reception” and he would be “forever grateful to her” for dealing with letters from his fans.