He was the subject of a tabloid hate frenzy that would frighten Shane Warne but Cristiano Ronaldo floated above it all and kept on rising. Now he’s set his sights on silverware – for himself and United.
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Accepted wisdom would have us believe that the genuinely great players are marked by a confidence bordering on arrogance, in which case Ronaldo is well on his way to greatness. But this season, he’s backed up the swagger with consistently brilliant performances. Which brings us to a big question: on current form, is he the best player in the world?
Manchester United team-mate Paul Scholes, himself enjoying an outstanding campaign, certainly thinks so: “The amount of goals and the amount of assists he’s had has been frightening. I haven’t seen anybody take players on, score goals and make goals like he has in the first half of the season, so he rightfully deserves that tag.”
Sir Alex agrees: “He’s the one player I’d love to pay money to go and see play. I’m sure Ronaldo is already in the ‘best in the world’ bracket. He’s only 21 and he will get even better. Cristiano has not just got quality, he has desire and a desire not to give in.”
Perhaps the biggest difference between the callow youth who arrived in Manchester and the current vintage is what Scholes may be alluding to: these days, there is an end product, a cutting edge after the trickery. At international level, Ronaldo’s goal-scoring record is outstanding – with 15 in his 43 caps, he’s already the eighth highest scorer in Portugal’s history – but he had managed just 18 in three seasons for United prior to the current campaign, scant return for a player of such talent. This season he had 15 by the start of February, winning a £400 ($1000) bet he had with Ferguson about reaching that total for the entire season.
So having stated his ambition to be the best player in the world, has he reached the summit at the ripe old age of 21? “No. What I want is to be one of the best, but not the best. They’re things that happen naturally. I’m having a good phase and I hope to continue with my good form and maintain a high level in my career. I’ve improved every year and I want to be better still.”
What has been the difference this season? “I’ve worked hard, and we can see the result of that. I’ve become stronger mentally, as we saw at the World Cup and in the Champions League, and it’s gone very well.”
But for the goals to suddenly start flying in, he must have made a fundamental change? “I didn’t change anything,” he insists. “I just added to it. It’s more a case of using experience to apply your skills in a game. For example, choosing the moment to dribble, to pass, helping the team defend more. I’m more mature, more experienced, better tactically too. In a lot of aspects, I’m more mature. And I can put into practice the things we do on the training pitch. We work well as a unit and that’s why the team is doing so well.”
Manchester United team-mate Paul Scholes, himself enjoying an outstanding campaign, certainly thinks so: “The amount of goals and the amount of assists he’s had has been frightening. I haven’t seen anybody take players on, score goals and make goals like he has in the first half of the season, so he rightfully deserves that tag.”
Sir Alex agrees: “He’s the one player I’d love to pay money to go and see play. I’m sure Ronaldo is already in the ‘best in the world’ bracket. He’s only 21 and he will get even better. Cristiano has not just got quality, he has desire and a desire not to give in.”

Perhaps the biggest difference between the callow youth who arrived in Manchester and the current vintage is what Scholes may be alluding to: these days, there is an end product, a cutting edge after the trickery. At international level, Ronaldo’s goal-scoring record is outstanding – with 15 in his 43 caps, he’s already the eighth highest scorer in Portugal’s history – but he had managed just 18 in three seasons for United prior to the current campaign, scant return for a player of such talent. This season he had 15 by the start of February, winning a £400 ($1000) bet he had with Ferguson about reaching that total for the entire season.
So having stated his ambition to be the best player in the world, has he reached the summit at the ripe old age of 21? “No. What I want is to be one of the best, but not the best. They’re things that happen naturally. I’m having a good phase and I hope to continue with my good form and maintain a high level in my career. I’ve improved every year and I want to be better still.”
What has been the difference this season? “I’ve worked hard, and we can see the result of that. I’ve become stronger mentally, as we saw at the World Cup and in the Champions League, and it’s gone very well.”
But for the goals to suddenly start flying in, he must have made a fundamental change? “I didn’t change anything,” he insists. “I just added to it. It’s more a case of using experience to apply your skills in a game. For example, choosing the moment to dribble, to pass, helping the team defend more. I’m more mature, more experienced, better tactically too. In a lot of aspects, I’m more mature. And I can put into practice the things we do on the training pitch. We work well as a unit and that’s why the team is doing so well.”
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