To be considered a Manchester United legend you most certainly have got to wear the number 7 shirt. You have to score amazing goals with ease, and you have to have an ego that cannot be easily knocked down. Cristiano Ronaldo meets all of these requirements, but more than that, he has a bag of tricks that can challenge even the world’s most technically gifted players.
Ronaldo is the rare type of player with his eyes solely fixed on the prize. His desire to win and be better than his contemporaries is unmatched in the game and has driven him to success. It has allowed him to be considered as Manchester’s greatest number 7.
Ronaldo started his playing career at CD Nacional, but he would not stay at the small Portuguese club for long. Two years after playing for Nacional, Ronaldo was scooped up by legendary Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon, the club that produced Luis Figo. He would go on and play for every single team in the Sporting system in his first year, including the first team. Ronaldo achieved his biggest feat at that time by scoring twice on his debut.
The Madeira born winger had been long scouted by the top clubs in Europe, especially by then Liverpool coach Gerard Houllier, before he got his chance to play against Manchester United in a pre-season game for Sporting Lisbon. The youngster took the chance to impress with aplomb. Such was his performance and ability in the game that Sir Alex Ferguson’s players including the highly regarded Roy Keane advised the manager to sign the untried winger for the storied Old Trafford club.
Ferguson knew other clubs were after the player, including his foe at Arsenal Arsene Wenger. When he signed for Manchester United, Ronaldo was a weak player with a set style of play, but under the tutelage of the master Ferguson, Ronaldo started showing other aspects of his game. The player had asked to keep the number 28 he wore at Sporting, but the Manchester United coach felt he would do better as the next installment in a long impressive line of number 7s in Manchester’s history.
Ronaldo is the rare type of player with his eyes solely fixed on the prize. His desire to win and be better than his contemporaries is unmatched in the game and has driven him to success. It has allowed him to be considered as Manchester’s greatest number 7.
Ronaldo started his playing career at CD Nacional, but he would not stay at the small Portuguese club for long. Two years after playing for Nacional, Ronaldo was scooped up by legendary Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon, the club that produced Luis Figo. He would go on and play for every single team in the Sporting system in his first year, including the first team. Ronaldo achieved his biggest feat at that time by scoring twice on his debut.
The Madeira born winger had been long scouted by the top clubs in Europe, especially by then Liverpool coach Gerard Houllier, before he got his chance to play against Manchester United in a pre-season game for Sporting Lisbon. The youngster took the chance to impress with aplomb. Such was his performance and ability in the game that Sir Alex Ferguson’s players including the highly regarded Roy Keane advised the manager to sign the untried winger for the storied Old Trafford club.
Ferguson knew other clubs were after the player, including his foe at Arsenal Arsene Wenger. When he signed for Manchester United, Ronaldo was a weak player with a set style of play, but under the tutelage of the master Ferguson, Ronaldo started showing other aspects of his game. The player had asked to keep the number 28 he wore at Sporting, but the Manchester United coach felt he would do better as the next installment in a long impressive line of number 7s in Manchester’s history.
His biggest improvement came in the form of his goal scoring. When the player discovered his scoring touch, he eclipsed the likes of David Beckham and George Best in United folklore. In 2008, the Portuguese wizard achieved the feat of scoring 42 goals in on season. It was the highest amount of goals scored by a winger in the history of the game. Ronaldo went on to collect every player award in the game, including world’s best player.
Though he is loved by the Manchester United fans, Ronaldo has not had an easy relationship with them. When he caused Wayne Rooney to get ejected in World Cup 2006, Ronaldo was jeered by his own fans when he returned to the Theatre of Dreams. He was able to get over that wall, but he made things worse by tempting the greedy fingers at Real Madrid. Fans were sure the player would jump ship, but he stayed and helped them win the Champions League and the Premier League. In the long run some fans may see Ronaldo as an enigma, but most will remember him as Manchester United’s best player ever.
Though he is loved by the Manchester United fans, Ronaldo has not had an easy relationship with them. When he caused Wayne Rooney to get ejected in World Cup 2006, Ronaldo was jeered by his own fans when he returned to the Theatre of Dreams. He was able to get over that wall, but he made things worse by tempting the greedy fingers at Real Madrid. Fans were sure the player would jump ship, but he stayed and helped them win the Champions League and the Premier League. In the long run some fans may see Ronaldo as an enigma, but most will remember him as Manchester United’s best player ever.
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