Cristiano Ronaldo still striving to get back up to warp speed
Cristiano Ronaldo is not the type to stay in the shadows for long, to play second or third fiddle in a strikeforce of stars, even if the lead role is being taken by a player hitting new peaks of spell-binding form.
Wayne Rooney has managed that of late, first for his country, now for his club, to render Ronaldo’s steady search for something more in keeping with his marvellous reputation slightly less urgent than it might otherwise have been.
Try as you might, though, it is very difficult to divorce Ronaldo’s present fortunes from the unseemly stuff that marred Manchester United’s summer, when their top scorer did his very best to fulfil his 'dream’ of joining Real Madrid.
As a result, it’s going to be fascinating studying the winger this season just to see if there’s any difference, not so much in his prodigious goalscoring output (another 42 goals is surely asking too much), but in the body language of a player whose heart might still pine for a move to Spain, no matter what his manager might say to the contrary.
Still, Ronaldo isn’t going anywhere in the near future. For him, it’s more about gaining match practice after an ankle injury requiring surgery delayed the start to his own campaign.
Missing the whole of pre-season, as any professional will vouch, is the worst way to prepare for 10 months of hard graft. Forever playing catch-up, it is amazing how long it takes to reach top speed.
Tuesday night’s Champions League tie with Celtic, then, represented just another building block on the road to full match fitness. It was a chance to get more action under his belt against opponents unlikely to offer a whole lot of resistance.
That was how it turned out, too. Initially lining up on the right wing in United’s overtly aggressive attacking formation, Ronaldo briefly threatened to humiliate Lee Naylor, Celtic’s backtracking left-back.
All the familiar traits were present: the lightning-quick stepovers, the swivelling of hips and, of course, that old favourite – looking one way before nonchalantly nudging the ball the other.
Warming to the task, a couple of decent shots threatened Artur Boruc’s goal before an inswinging corner by United’s No 7 indirectly led to Dimitar Berbatov’s opening goal.
With Celtic’s resistance dwindling, the Portuguese flier became increasingly involved as the game wore on. He had already let fly to no avail with one trademark free-kick in the first half, and when another chance arrived after the break his aim proved much better from 25 yards out.
Taking three deliberate steps back, standing square on to the ball, arms hanging by his side, Ronaldo then produced one of those dipping, swerving shots that goalkeepers find so awkward to handle. That said, Boruc should have done a lot better than to pat the ball back into Berbatov’s path.
After 82 minutes Sir Alex Ferguson had seen enough, withdrawing his player to widespread applause. Not the kind, mind, that has greeted Ronaldo in the past. There’s still work to be done, you suspect, on that particular score, before he can earn such unconditional adulation.
Actually, it isn’t unreasonable to wonder if that unswerving support will ever fully return. Because looking at United’s fearsome options in attack, seeing how much Berbatov now brings to the party alongside a flying Rooney, seeing how well Nani is progressing on the opposite flank, Ronaldo’s input, while still very welcome, no longer looks quite so crucial to the side.
) calculated guess?
