Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most exciting footballers of his generation. Starring at youth level on his home island of Maderia, his spirit and natural flair took him into the Sporting Lisbon first team, attracting the interest of Manchester United, who bought him in the summer of 2003. His dazzling footwork, showmanship and eye for goal not only inspired United to two Premiership titles, but he was United's only player to score in normal time in the 2008 Champions League final, which the Reds won to put the finishing touches to a remarkable double-winning season. His incredible top-scoring season was further rewarded by becoming the FIFA World Player of the Year – and the first player based in the UK to win the award.
Оглавление
Matt Oldfield. Cristiano Ronaldo
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHILDHOOD
2003/04: A NEW BEGINNING IN MANCHESTER
EURO 2004: LIVING THE DREAM
2004/05: SECOND SEASON BLUES
2005/06: THIRD TIME LUCKY?
WORLD CUP 2006 AND THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
CHAMPIONS AT LAST
CONQUERING ALL BEFORE HIM
EURO 2008 AND THE END OF AN ERA
Copyright
Отрывок из книги
Title Page
Dedication
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With his transfer complete, the praise came flooding in. Eusebio, Portugal’s finest ever player, announced, ‘At that age, Ronaldo is not just a footballer, he is waiting to be an icon. He would enhance any team, any league anywhere. I really believe he is that good.’ Luis Figo, at the time playing for Real Madrid, predicted a bright future for Cristiano in Manchester, ‘He is good enough to embarrass English defenders and I think he will have too much skill for a lot of them. He can do whatever he wants as a footballer. There are some things he does with the ball that make me touch my head and wonder how he did it.’ It was certainly a boost for Cristiano to hear such tributes.
Still only 18, it was the move of his dreams. Every aspiring young player hopes to make the step up to a big club and Ronaldo had done it. Now he had to justify the price tag. While he was known to scouts of Europe’s biggest clubs, Cristiano was not a household name in England and few would have selected him as a candidate to top United’s summer transfer list. But at the same time, few doubted Ferguson’s ability to unearth top young players. Everyone at United waited with baited breath to see Ronaldo in action, but Ferguson insisted that he would introduce Cristiano to English football carefully and gradually. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had played so well on the right flank towards the end of the previous campaign that Ronaldo could be eased gently into the fast-paced Premiership action.
