Football

There are a couple of elements of Ronaldo 1.0 that seem more vivid
now. First, it is easy to forget quite how good and how perfectly
realised that Ronaldo was in his final year at United. And to wonder
also what might have happened to that expressive, physically inventive
wide forward had he continued to develop that way.

The following year, his first in Madrid, Ronaldo began to concentrate
his powers, to became a more dazzlingly efficient footballer, a
machine for winning. As early as 2009-10, a third of his goals came
from the centre-forward position. Whereas the 23‑year‑old Ronaldo was
the final form of something else, a player that was in many ways more
captivating.

It is easy to forget quite how good and how perfectly realised
Ronaldo was in his final year at United Not to mention still the
greatest the Premier League has seen. It is worth restating this. In
October 2008 Ronaldo was five weeks away from his first Ballon d’Or,
which he would win ahead of Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres and – in an
impressive 12th place – Emmanuel Adebayor of Arsenal.

By the turn of the year, Ronaldo was the best player in a team who had
just won the Champions League. Not to mention he was Ballon d’Or
winner, Fifa world player of the year, PFA player of the year, Fifpro
world player of the year, Uefa club player of the year, World Soccer
player of the year, European golden boot and Premier League and
Champions League top‑goalscorer. All of which, aged 23, puts Mo
Salah’s lone stellar season into perspective, or Harry Kane’s extended
peak, or the excellent form of Eden Hazard. They’re all very good. But
this is genius-level stuff.