World Soccer Presents - Rise of Ronaldo (2022)

Inaction...Ronaldo

terrorisingPremier

Leaguedefences

G

eorgeBest, Bryan

Robson,EricCantona

andDavidBeckhamall

woreManchesterUnited’s

No. 7 shirt with individualisticdistinction.

Allwereutterlydifferentinstyle,outlook

andpersona.Tofindanotherjewel

tocarrysucha magicnumber has

beenoneofthe most remarkable

achievementsinthe longreign

ofSir AlexFerguson.

CristianoRonaldodosSantos

Aveiro flieswiththe sevennow – and

probablyfor a longtimeto come since

heisnotyet 22. He couldwellbecome

thetenthforeignplayerto winEngland’s

Footballerofthe Year awardifUnited

keeptheirPremiershipnosesahead

ofChelseaandhismostpotentrival,

DidierDrogba.

TheIvoryCoaststriker, forall his

attackingaggression,hasnot hadto

confrontthe crowdantagonismonaway

groundsprovokedby thenod-and-a-

remarkablefee fora playerof just

18 – to shakeoff thepursuitofReal

Madrid,Juventusand Chelsea.

Fergusonsaid:“Wehad been

interestedfor sometimebutinthe

lastfewweeksinterestfromother

clubsacceleratedandsomething

hadto be sorted out.”

Ronaldowasborn in Funchal,

Madeira,onFebruary 5 ,1 98 5.

Hisfatherwaskitmanagerfor local

sideCFAndorinha.Atten theboywas

alreadyso goodthathewas thesubject

ofa “transferbid”fromleadingMadeira

clubMaritimo.Ronaldo’s fatherchose

Sportinginsteadbecausetheyoffered

Andorinhaa fullnewfirst-teamkit.

SoRonaldojoinedSporting’syouth

school,whichhad producedstarssuch

asLuisFigo,PauloFutreandSimao

Sabrosa.He says: “When I wasa kid

Figowasmy hero,soitwas wonderful

tobeabletoplayfor thesameclub.

Itwas a dreamcometrue.”

However,hedid notadjust easilyto

lifeinLisbon.Atschool, forinstance,

theotherpupilslaughedathisMadeira

accent.ButRonaldohadthe last laugh

when,at 17 years,eightmonths andtwo

days, he became theyoungestleague

goalscorerinSporting’s history.

Lessthana yearlaterandhewasat

hisscintillatingbest on hisUniteddebut

asa second-halfsubstitute in a 4-0win

overBolton. Fergusonsaidafterwards:

“Itlookslike thefanshavea newhero.

Itwas a marvellousdebut,almost

unbelievable.ThereisnodoubtCristiano

canbecome thebestplayer in theworld.

Hehaseverythingreally, andinterms of

playerswhocanattackdefendersat

speed,nooneinEuropecomesclose.

CristianoRonaldogracedthecover

ofWorldSoccer’s February 2 007 issue,

withKeirRadnedgehailingManchester

United’sin-formplayerandchronicling

hisrisefromhumblebeginnings

topotentialsuperstardom

and

ntona

In the footsteps of

winkantics thatthePortuguese

contributedtotheexpulsionofclub-

mateWayneRooney at theWorldCup.

Fergusonshouldnotbegivenall

thecreditforbringingRonaldotoOld

Trafford. True,United, alongwithhalfof

therestof Europe,hadbeenwatching

himeverytimeSportingplayed.Butit

wasonlyafterSporting beat United3- 1

ina friendlyin 2003 thatFerguson

waspersuadedtodobusiness.

“Ontheflightback ourplayers

urged me to signhimand thenfor

a weekafter thematch they still talked

abouthimconstantly,”herecalled.“That

ishow highlytheyratehim.Heisnot

onlya two-footedattackerwhocan

playanywhereup front– right,left

orthrough themiddle– butheis

alsooneofthe most excitingyoung

playersI haveeverseen.”

United’s partnershipwithSporting

gavethemfirst refusalonRonaldo.But

theystill hadtopay £ 12 million– a

16 RISEOFRONALDO