The skinny teenage winger who became an unstoppable goalscoring machine.
August 16, 2003 Cristiano Ronaldo, referred to as simply ‘Ronaldo’ by the Old Trafford stadium announcer, takes to the field for the first time as a second half substitute against Bolton Wanderers.
He has a knowing smirk on his face when he replaces Nicky Butt, as if the then 18-year-old knew what was going to happen over the next 13 years.
He didn’t of course, how could he have possibly predicted his evolution into one of the greatest players of all time?
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As with all good things, it didn’t come easy and for the next three years, from 2003-6, the first ever Portuguese player to represent Manchester United frustrated far more than he delivered.
Ruud van Nistelrooy was known to regularly taunt the mercurial young talent, teasing United’s new no.7 about the close relationship he enjoyed with assistant coach and fellow countryman, Carlos Queiroz, ending in a physical dispute between the pair and a tearful teenager in the aftermath.
The incident was very personal for Ronaldo, whose father had not long passed away, and he could have easily gone in the other direction as a result.
However, van Nistelrooy wasn’t just playing the villain here. The Dutchman’s aggressive behaviour toward the skillful winger only stemmed from the lack of quickfire delivery he received from The Red Devil’s fresh and flashy wideman.
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Clip via YouTube/CrixRonnieOfficial
He was no David Beckham, for better or for worse. The problem was that the United players were too used to the England captain’s precise timing. When he got it, he gave it. Ronaldo would get it, and play with it (stop). By the time he crossed the ball, the forwards had already made their move and it was too late.
You’ve heard it all before but this continued to happen time and again for the best part of three seasons, and the initial comparisons to Goldenballs threatened to derail Ronaldo’s critical early development.
Gary Neville recently spoke of how some of the senior players would challenge the youngster, with the likes of Rio Ferdinand teasing Ronaldo about only keeping Beckham’s shirt warm until he returned, and Ryan Giggs purposely passing the ball knee-height in training to test his control. New arrivals, especially expensive ones (Ronaldo cost nearly £13 million), often faced the latter treatment. It was ruthless, with many failing to ever settle.
Sometimes Ronaldo failed, more often he succeeded, but he never gave up. His appetite was insatiable and his self-belief remained admirably defiant, gradually easing the suspicion of his colleagues; it was eventually realised that this was a unique talent to be cherished, not smothered.
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Ronaldo’s performance when Arsenal visited Old Trafford in that infamous 0-0 draw in September 2003 demonstrated that this player had balls, playing with freedom and fearlessness against a superb Ashley Cole in an otherwise ugly match. Roy Keane’s warm embrace toward his barely adult teammate at half-time illustrated this alluring nature that the former Sporting player possessed.
He withstood introductory bullying and grew from early defeats – losing the Euro 2004 Final to Greece devastated the Madeira native, but was arguably more important than winning at that point – and he maintained the faith of an adoring manager and a surprisingly affectionate captain.
By the start of the 2006/07 season, Ronaldo had completed his apprenticeship and the second period of his United career was simply breathtaking.
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He formed an incredible partnership with Wayne Rooney, following that moment at the previous summer’s World Cup and graduation to seniority came with a new image; here was an outrageously talented footballer in the body of a hard-nosed holding midfielder.
The perception of a flair player had just been, in many quarters, redefined and modernised.
His zenith in a United shirt undoubtedly came in 2007/08. The return of 42 goals from a largely right-wing position amassed Premier League and Champions League crowns, confirming the Portugal international as an indisputable world-class talent, mixing tenacity (in his mental side of the game) and talent.
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He was still wasn’t for everyone. No doubt, Ronaldo would often go down too easily, in the traditional sense (he does nowadays), and he was still accused by a minority of not truly doing it in the big games.
By his last year at Old Trafford, he had mentally checked out and booked his ticket to Madrid. His ability was so great at this point, that he still managed 26 goals that season on autopilot, including stunning and pivotal Champions League knockout strikes against Porto and Arsenal, before a defeat in the final against Barcelona signalled the end of six unforgettable years at United.
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The following seven years at Real Madrid has seen the global phenomenon almost completely eradicate the outrageous flair from his game, and instead become seemingly obsessed with scoring as many goals as humanely possible.
As he continues to break a silly number of records, you have to wonder has a player ever changed his game so much over a decade to turn huge promise into fulfilled potential?
The answer lies back at that sunny August afternoon in 2003.
