Ronaldo turns jeers to cheers (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Ronaldo turns jeers to cheers

6:54pm Monday 23rd April 2007

• Print
• Email

Jose Mourinho has had another dig at Manchester United, claiming they receive preferential treatment when it comes to penalty decisions.

Two more big decisions went United’s way on Sunday too, but not even the Chosen One can argue that these ones weren’t spot on… awarding the PFA Premiership Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards to that little Red Devil Cristiano Ronaldo.

It was always going to be a two-horse race between Ronaldo and Didier Drogba for the top prize, although I would have gone for Steven Gerrard in third place over Paul Scholes.

Each of them had a strong claim to the accolade. They all weigh in with more than their fair share of goals – Ronaldo and Gerrard from midfield – all three have been consistently inspirational and influential for their super-successful clubs and in the case of Ronaldo and Drogba, their seasons have been shining examples of triumphs over adversity.

But only one man can truly claim to have transcended the sport in the last eight months, and that is Manchester United maestro Ronaldo.

So, in the words of Lloyd Grossman in Through the Keyhole, let’s have a look at the evidence.

First, Steven Gerrard: Apparently, a quarter of our brain is dedicated to the sense of sight. Well, if that is the case then Gerrard either uses one third of his, or his brain is larger than the rest of us mere mortals, such is his vision on the football pitch.

He certainly has a bigger heart than any other player in the Premiership, illustrated most recently by his single-handed demolition of minnows Andorra in last month’s European Championship qualifier. Only Andorra, you say, but where were the rest of the England ‘stars’ in our hour of need?

In the big debate over whether to leave out Gerrard or Frank Lampard from England’s central midfield, is there really anybody left out there who would plump for Lampard over Stevie G? It’s a no-brainer (enough with the organ references and metaphors, I promise).

Didier Drogba: No only does he score for fun (he is odds-on to lift the Premiership’s golden boot award with 19 league goals and 31 in all competitions), he also scores some wonder goals, so often at crucial times in the big games.

Last season you could have forgiven him for putting in a transfer request, so much stick was he getting from press, pundits and even his own fans, who claimed he was a waste of money since arriving from Marseille in 2004 for a cool £24 million. He’s a big man but his aerial expertise, shall we say (sign him up for the next series of Dancing on Ice), was second to none and a lot of the criticism he received was self-inflicted.

But talk about bouncebackability. Instead of speaking out in the press this season about how hard done by he is, Drogba has done his talking on the pitch.

And so on to Ronaldo.

It seems an eternity ago now but I remember when the emerging boy wonder Ryan Giggs was being hailed as the new George Best by United legends Bobby Charlton and Dennis Law. And who can forget the impact Eric Cantona had at the Theatre of Dreams during his five-year stay. Two modern-day Old Trafford legends for sure, but Manchester’s latest footballing genius is already on a par with this pair.

He is quick, strong, has the balance of a ballet dancer and scores as many goals as Giggs and Cantona put together. He has more tricks up his sleeve than the Welsh wing wizard, as much confidence as the Frenchman possessed in his prime and, even more worrying for his opponents, he’s only 22 and getting better by the week.

You know when you are in the presence of greatness. I remember a few years ago going to watch Arsenal against Leeds at Highbury. My brother lives in London and is a big Leeds fan (I know, I know, but nobody is perfect) and unfortunately for him, a Leeds side who were spiraling out of the Premiership were stuffed 4-0.

Fortunately for me, I was able to witness the genius that is Thierry Henry. He was at the pinnacle of his game and it was like watching a stallion running rings around ten old nags plucked off the set of Steptoe & Son. Years later, I can’t remember much about the game itself but I have an enduring image of Henry floating around the field with the ball seemingly glued to his feet. Mesmerizing stuff.

I was reminded of Henry’s virtuoso performance during United’s recent 7-1 walloping of Roma in what has to be one of the greatest European performances by any club.

Again, spectators were watching a player at the top of his game. The blend of arrogance, skill and power was a joy to watch. And let us not forget, this wasn’t a Leeds team in decline he was playing against, rather a high-pressure European Cup quarter-final, with United trailing 2-1 after the first leg.

At the start of the season, nobody could have predicted Ronaldo would win over the English public to such a huge extent.

But credit where credit’s due, the lad has shown incredible mental strength since the World Cup flashpoint with Wayne Rooney.

Some of us may never forgive ‘the winker’ for his diabolical shenanigans in that bad-tempered quarter-final, but love him or loathe him, you’ve just got to admire him.