Cristiano Ronaldo
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[edit] BiographyCristiano Ronaldo has just about exhausted all superlatives, except to say that having developed and matured from a young and inexperienced winger when he joined from Sporting Lisbon in 2003, he's now among the best and most dynamic attacking forces in the world. Signed as a largely unknown 18-year-old for £12.24m, the story goes that Sir Alex was persuaded to sign him by his players on the plane home from a pre-season friendly against Sporting that summer. In truth, the boss had long been aware of his ability. The urgency to sign him stemmed from interest from other top European clubs. This was a target Sir Alex simply couldn’t let slip through the net. Ronaldo wasted little time in showing off his sublime skills with a stunning 30-minute debut against Bolton at Old Trafford in August 2003. After 39 appearances and eight goals – including the opener in the FA Cup final win over Millwall – he was named the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year for 2003/04. His second season never quite lived up to his first. But some late season form saw him end the 2004/05 campaign with nine goals in 50 appearances. In 2005/06 Ronny again reserved his best form for the latter half of the season, a clear sign that, despite his undoubted talent, this was a player still honing his talent. Then came the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany, a truly defining moment. In the quarter finals against England, Cristiano was blamed for Wayne Rooney’s sending off, the scapegoat for England’s exit. Some wondered if he would even return to Manchester. But Sir Alex’s calming words assured him. After all, it’d happened before with Eric Cantona in 1995 and David Beckham in 1998. The best players respond to adversity, and he did just that. United’s title success was undoubtedly a team effort, but one player was central to almost every major plotline. It began with the barnstorming 5-1 win over Fulham – Ronaldo and Rooney running the show and very publicly rubbishing claims the two were at odds. Dazzling wing-play was backed with regular assists and crucial goals, including seven in five games over Christmas and then a last-gasp winner against Fulham in February. His form brought renewed interest from Spain, but United’s No.7 signed a new five-year deal until 2012 insisting, “I’m happy here.” In 2006/07 he claimed 14 individual awards and, most crucially, his first Premiership medal. The soundtrack to Cristiano’s campaign may have begun with a chorus of boos, but it ended with cacophonous applause.
[edit] StatisticsRonaldo was the second-highest scorer in FIFA World Cup qualification in the European zone with seven goals,[68] and scored his first and only World Cup goal against Iran with a penalty kick.[71] During a quarter-final match against England on 1 July 2006, Ronaldo's United teammate Wayne Rooney was sent off for stamping on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho. The English media speculated that Ronaldo had influenced referee Horacio Elizondo's decision by aggressively complaining, after which he was seen in replays winking at the Portuguese bench following Rooney's dismissal. After the match, Ronaldo insisted that Rooney was a friend and that he was not pushing for Rooney to be sent off.[72] On 4 July, Elizondo clarified that the red card was due to Rooney's infraction and not the fracas between Rooney and Ronaldo that followed.[73] The angry reaction from the English press caused Ronaldo to consider leaving United,[74] and he allegedly told Spanish sports daily Marca that he wished to move to Real Madrid.[75] In response to the speculation, Ferguson sent Portuguese assistant manager Carlos Queiroz to speak to Ronaldo in attempt to change his mind, a sentiment that was shared by Rooney.[76][77] Ronaldo stayed, and signed his new five-year extension in April 2007.[78] Ronaldo was booed during Portugal's semifinal defeat to France,[79] and missed out on the competition's Best Young Player award due to a negative e-mail campaign from England fans.[80] Though the online vote only affected the nomination process, FIFA's Technical Study Group awarded the honour to Germany's Lukas Podolski, citing Ronaldo's behaviour as a factor in the decision.[81] [edit] Honors[edit] References[edit] Related Articles[edit] Recent Cristiano Ronaldo ArmchairGM Stories
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