Cristiano Ronaldo, the irreplaceable winking hero

Out of his six years at Old Trafford, Cristiano Ronaldo spent three in the spotlight. After the infamous incident in the 2006 World Cup involving him and Wayne Rooney, critics and boos became part of Ronaldo’s professional and private lives.

The “Winking hero” suddenly transformed into England’s number one most hated personality. While a vast majority of football fans took pleasure in threatening him to move from Manchester United and from the country as well, most analysts tipped Ronaldo to suffer career nightmares whereas Rooney would excel.

But these predictions never came true. Cristiano Ronaldo received the backing of Alex Ferguson; the grown
kid from Madeira soon became Manchester United’s most impressive player – a real ace.

Cristiano Ronaldo gained more confidence and always went out to prove his critics wrong although they never seemed to shut up. The Portuguese winger visibly played under pressure – this pressure that was created by anti-Ronaldo supporters and by the fact that he had to play for a team that was NOT his childhood dream club.

Despite these problems, Cristiano Ronaldo battled hard to defend his worth by powering Manchester United to their first league title in three years. The winger netted 23 goals (17 in the English Premier League) and became Manchester United’s top scorer at the end of the 2006/2007 season.

Some called his achievement “luck” and once again predicted that he wouldn’t be able to match the standard that he had set.

Well, Cristiano Ronaldo even went steps further to break his own record. The following season, he netted 42 goals in all competition which helped Manchester United to land the Champions League and the English Premier League titles.

Last year, Ronaldo’s season was tarnished by the transfer saga and by an ankle operation which saw him miss the start of Manchester United’s campaign.

Either way, Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008/2009 season can be marked by so many memorable things: his dazzling performance in Japan that helped the Red Devils to lift the Fifa World Club Cup trophy, his wonder goal against Porto FC that fired Manchester United to the semi-finals of the Champions League, his brace against Arsenal in Europe, his vital equalizer against Aston Villa, and the list goes on…

During that final year at Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo also scored his 100th goal for the club with a 30-yard free-kick against Stoke City. One person who keeps reflecting on Cristiano Ronaldo’s influence in Manchester is Chelsea’s Frank Lampard.

“You don’t replace him [Cristiano Ronaldo], apart from with Messi. He [Messi] is probably the only player you could do it with.

“With Ronaldo, the amount of goals he scores, the amount of times you flicked on the telly and saw he had scored and they had won 1-0 or 2-0.

“It is very difficult to replace him. I saw Ferguson say that himself, and I don’t think he will look to replace him.”

Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United and his goals are now part of the past. The “bad boy” knew how to blind defenders and punish them instantly with his pace and his mesmerizing dancing touches. He brought pride to the Red Devils all over the world with his particular skill on the ball. Cristiano Ronaldo was essential to Manchester United’s success in the 21st century, and that, surely, is a fact.

He seemed to play with his heart and mind despite the fact that he initially warned Alex Ferguson that Manchester and England were not part of his childhood dreams. The Red Devils shaped him into the world’s best footballer and in return, he performed all his tricks, flicks, and everything that personified him as the grown kid from Madeira.

As much as Manchester United may struggle to cop without Ronaldo, they may also find their way through to success again.

Michael Owen succeeds to Cristiano Ronaldo as Manchester United’s number 7 but the mesmerizing effect that the Portuguese had IS and will always be unique. As the proverb says, you must be either better or worse than a person [than Ronaldo]. As much as everyone is unique, you cannot equal someone in certain terms.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the “Winking Hero”, is forever irreplaceable.

Did Cristiano Ronaldo really had flu?

Less than 12 hours after Portugal’s game against Liechtenstein, Cristiano Ronaldo was seen training for Real Madrid. The Spanish Giants had released a statement to the Portuguese Football Association preventing Cristiano Ronaldo from joing his national team. According to Real Madrid, the 24-year-old was suffering from flu.

While some may believe the story, many will accept it with raised eyebrows. Anyway, today’s news was that Ronaldo attended training for Real Madrid.

The World Player of the Year was also joined by Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Alvaro Negredo, and his former teammate at Manchester United Ruud Van Nilsterooy. Reports indicates that all these players are currently on Real Madrid’s injury list while they look to recover completely.

AS reported that Ronaldo showed some signs of weakness during training. The man whose legs are priced 100 million euros also trained alone with the ball. But was all that just theatrics? It’s easy to think that Real Madrid will do everything in their power to keep the legs of their superstar safe – not only before the start of the season, but also throughout the campaign.

Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to play for RealMadrid in their next pre-season match on August 19.

Ronaldo is phenomenal, normal, humble – Raul Albiol

The World Player of the Year and the Ballon d’Or titleholder Cristiano Ronaldo is a popular personality in football. Millions of fans adore him for his dazzling skills on the pitch and his attractive look characterized by his sun-tanned skin and his hairstyle.

For many though, the 24-year-old Portuguese winger is the portrait of arrogance, selfishness, immaturity, and incompleteness. Cristiano Ronaldo is certainly the number one footballer to count so many anti-supporters around the world who love to hate him.

Either way, Ronaldo still receives a lot of attention from the media and from a large part of enthusiast people who can’t wait to see him play competitive football for Los Blancos.

Ahead of the new season, predictions over Ronaldo’s performance for Real Madrid in La Liga, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey are vibrant in the atmosphere.

One man who is well aware of the attention that Cristiano Ronaldo attracts is Liverpool’s ex-defender Raul Albiol. He said:

“Everyone is curious to know [about Ronaldo].”

The Spanish international, who is one player among the bunch of stars that Florentino Perez signed this summer, then gave his own description of Real Madrid’s 94 million euro signing. The defender simply declared:

“He [Cristiano Ronaldo] is a phenomenal player and it is a pleasure to know him because he is a normal guy, humble and a worker.”

Contradictorily to what anti-Ronaldo fans predicted, Cristiano Ronaldo looks welcomed in the Spanish club. Under new coach Manuel Pellegrini, the atmosphere within the players of Real Madrid seems to be more harmonious than it was last season, despite the hierarchy that exists in the squad in terms of wages.

Is Cristiano Ronaldo really an unsupportable lad as Barcelona’s Xavi Hernandez and some other people think?

Cristiano Ronaldo: It’s easy to be me.

“There is only one Ronaldo”; Cristiano Ronaldo fans are proud to chant this popular line. For anti-Ronaldo supporters, this is more than an insult.

The former iconic number 7 superstar now wears the number 9 jersey in Real Madrid, with his name ‘Ronaldo’ written at the back. Coincidently, two years after the Brazilian Ronaldo left the talismanic number 9 shirt hanging, another man with the same name is carrying it – Cristiano Ronaldo.

After making the headlines with his 94 million Euros move from Old Trafford to the Santiago Bernabeu, Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t stop being at the centre of attraction. The World Player of the Year is cleary the people’s favorite in Madrid. The 24-year-old, who was often in the limelight in his time at Manchester is being even more spotlighted these days.

Ronaldo, who was recently asked about his new life where every move is under the spotlight, declared:

“It’s very easy to be Ronaldo. I am not changing my lifestyle. I like being Ronaldo.”

Many predicted that Ronaldo’s inclusion in Real Madrid’s squad was going to provoke tension in the dressing room, not only because of his character but also because of his astronomical wages. However, things do not seem to go that way.

On the pitch, the Portugal captain looks equal to his teammates and his relationship with Raul appears to be positive.

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