Cristiano Ronaldo: The Man of Steel forged in Manchester

Cristiano Ronaldo: The Man of Steel forged in Manchester

Any budding footballer, especially an attacker, in his formative years would dream of possessing the ability to execute step-overs, 360s, outrageous dribbling, getting past your man with a burst of pace, hugging the touchline, and delivering a precise cross. When a lean-looking 18-year-old teen named Cristiano Ronaldo stepped on to the turf at the Theatre of Dreams against Bolton Wanderers in the 2003-04 EPL season, the world witnessed a prodigy gifted with talent any footballer would dream of.

There was something about him. The confidence he carried, the touches he exhibited, and the inherent flair he is blessed with put him on a different plane altogether. Alex Ferguson knew instantly he had landed a star destined for greatness, and a player who would lead Manchester United to another era of silverware and glory.

Fortuitously, in the summer of 2003, United had a friendly scheduled to be played with Sporting CP of Portugal, more famous as Sporting Lisbon outside their homeland. The occasion was of new beginnings as Sporting Lisbon’s new stadium “Estadio Jose Alvalade” was inaugurated with a game against the mighty Manchester United. It would turn out to be a new beginning for Cristiano Ronaldo himself. Sporting beat United 3-1 in the friendly game, but Ronaldo had won the heart of Sir Alex Ferguson. Further justified by the United defenders who, although tormented by Cristiano throughout the game, were indelibly impressed by this youngster, and urged Sir Alex to sign him to which he duly obliged.

Ferguson had been looking for a man to re-stamp United’s dominance in England, as Arsenal looked resurgent and Chelsea invigorated by cash flow from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, and in Cristiano, the wily Scot had found a gem. David Beckham’s departure had left the famous No-7 jersey vacant, and Ferguson unhesitatingly offered it to Ronaldo, almost foretelling the greatness he would go on to achieve. Cristiano had wanted the No-28 jersey as he wore it for Sporting as well, but the boss coaxed him to put on the legendary No-7.

The silky winger from Madeira managed a limited impact in his debut season with 6 goals from 24 starts, and 16 substitute appearances. Cristiano did score in the FA cup final against Milwall, picking up his first trophy in United colours, as the Red-devils won 3-0 at Cardiff. The second season saw him being more frequently deployed by Ferguson. Cristiano started 40 times, and improved his tally to 9 goals, but surprisingly, United finished trophy-less in their 2004-05 campaign.

Cristiano scored in a final once-again, as United beat Wigan 4-0 to win the Carling cup in the following season, but United failed to win the league again, and were knocked out from the Champions league in the group stage. Amidst all the disappointments at the team level, Cristiano was finding his feet in the highly physical Premier league. He scored United’s 1000^thgoal in the premier league, scoring in the 4-1 defeat at the hands of Middlesbrough at the Riverside. Ronaldo was rising and he received the FIFPro special young player of the year award in 2005.

His trademark stepovers, exquisite ball-control while hugging the touchline, and taking on the wing-back were a joy to behold. His pacy and mazy runs left the opposition defenders scratching their heads in shock and awe. Ronaldo the winger was magical with his effortless nutmegs, slaloming past the onrushing defenders, feinting and faking, before delivering the cross. He was gradually developing into one of the best.

In the season 2006-07, he proved Alex Ferguson right for putting faith in his 18-year-old self, as he showed that he was the man for United by helping them win the EPL title after three seasons. Cristiano formed a devastating partnership with Wayne Rooney, as the duo amassed a total of 46 goals with both scoring 23 each. United’s blistering counter-attacking game was based on the precocious talents of these two, and Ronaldo broke the 15 goal barrier in the league for the first time. Sir Alex had remarked that the boy had the ability to score more than 15 goals a season regularly, and Cristiano had shown rapid improvement in his finishing. In December 2006, Cristiano picked up five out of six Man of the Match awards.

I remember the game against Fulham at Craven Cottage that season. United were having a bad day at the office and the score was level at 1-1. They had to win in-order to keep the pressure on Chelsea, but a victory looked very unlikely. “Cometh the hour, Cometh the man”, and Ronaldo was certainly that man. In the dying minutes, he embarked on his typical breath-taking solo runs getting past the tired defenders at will, and as the goal approached, he managed to get a shot away, winning the game for United. The look on his face said it all; he wanted to win, and wanted to be the best.

The 2007-08 season saw Cristiano Ronaldo establishing himself as the best footballer on planet. Playing on either wing, or down the centre, Cristiano was deadly, dazzling and lethal. His two-footedness made him unpredictable, as he could change directions either side. He scored from headers, missile-like free-kicks, amazing volleys, and also with predatory poaching skills. It was a record breaking season, as Ronaldo accumulated 42 goals in the season, and United beat Chelsea to win the European League for the third time.

Cristiano’s penalty had been saved by Petr Cech, but Van Der Sar saved a sudden death penalty from Anelka, and won the European cup for United. Ronaldo was evidently disappointed after scoring in the game, and missing in the shoot-out . He thought it would be his worst game ever, but Van Der Sar turned his tears of sorrow into tears of joy.

Cristiano won the Ballon D’Or in 2008, beating Messi and Kaka. The Dutch great, Johan Cryuff rated him better than Denis Law and George Best, two legends of United. Once labeled as great, Ronaldo found it difficult to maintain it, as his tally of goals dipped in the 2008-09 season but he still managed to help United win the league for the third consecutive year, and reach the Champions league final in successive seasons.

His performance in the final against Barcelona proved anonymous. He was well-defended and at times, he seemed to take on Barca all by himself, which proved futile. He drew heavy criticism for being selfish, and it was the second time he had misfired against the Catalans, after a mediocre semi-final performance at Camp Nou the previous season, where he even missed a penalty. Many critics termed him a glory-hunter who only plays for individual accolades, and lacks big-game temperament.

Ronaldo joined his dream team, Real Madrid, in the summer of 2009-10, as the most expensive transfer in Football history. He would again be a catalyst for Madrid to snatch the title away from their fierce Catalunyan rivals. After being outclassed by Barcelona in the first two seasons, Madrid, under Jose Mourinho, had increasingly looked dangerous to usurp the Spanish throne from Barcelona.

Ronaldo was consigned to the runner’s up spot for Ballon D’Or award from 2009-2011 as Messi’s mesmerizing form for the all-conquering Barca side denied him. Ronaldo had himself benefitted from the competition with Messi. He had scored 53 goals in his second season itself. Although sometimes frustrated by the constantly ongoing comparisons between him and Messi, Ronaldo let his football do the talking.

The big-game performances continued to improve, as Ronaldo’s stoppage time header gave Madrid their first victory over the Catalans in some time as they won the Copa Del Rey. Ronaldo scored the winning goal for Madrid in their El-Classico victory at Camp-Nou, silencing his critics as Madrid went on to win the league after three years of Barca dominance. Cristiano almost took Madrid into the finals of the Champions league, but missed in the shoot-out again, having scored a brace in normal time against Bayern. Ronaldo scored a staggering 46 goals in the league, and a season tally of 60. His assists figures also showed an upward curve, as Ronaldo evolved into more of a team player.

On the International stage, Ronaldo eventually stamped his class in Euro2012, scoring a brilliant brace against the Dutch to get Portugal to the Quarter-finals. He scored the winner against the Czech Republic with a diving header from a superb Jao Moutinho cross. Although he could not help his team against Spain after missing a string of chances, Cristiano Ronaldo had stamped his class on the International scene, after failing in WC2006 & EURO2008.

With all his abilities and shortcomings, Cristiano Ronaldo has improved as a player and person over time. Whenever criticized, Cristiano has found an answer. He may have a superior adversary, but that does not stop him from giving his best and become better. Cristiano Ronaldo certainly lacks the humility of the fictional Clarke Kent, but nonetheless he is the Man of Steel.