Goodbye Ronaldo - Old Trafford, Manchester & All Of England Will Miss You

by JO'F

First things first, let's have a show of hands. Hands up those of you who didn't watch Cristiano Ronaldo's unveiling at Real Madrid. And by that I mean any of it, not a single second. Higher please so we can all see. Ok, you...you, is that a hand up there at the back? Right. Well I can tell you right now that you're in the minority.

The extravagant first showing of the world football's most expensive player in the regal white of arguably the world's most glamorous club was a box office smash, football's equivalent of a red carpet premiere for a Hollywood blockbuster.

Over 300 camera crews and photographers gathered for this historic event. Journalists from all corners of the globe centred on Madrid with questions customised to suit their particular domains; the amiable German journalist asking for Ronaldo's thoughts on Ribery. The Sky reporter questioning Ronaldo's relationship with Ferguson. The female journalist asking if Ronaldo was going to find a nice Spanish lady to settle down with. It seemed like the whole world of sports media was there to witness a marriage that was almost meant to be - the planet's most egotistical footballer at the planet's most egocentric, headline-hungry football club. Not to mentions the 80,000 fans present at the Bernabeu. There's a reason Sky Sports showed it all live.

The player

But as the glare of the flashbulbs fade and the all-powerful hype machine dies down, we - and by 'we' I mean Manchester United fans, fans in England and fans of the Premier League, are left with a rather empty feeling akin to the one when left behind when a person leaves the room of their own surprise party: 'what do we do now?'

For United fans like myself we are simply left with our memories, and boy are there some good ones. I was there on that hot summers day in August 2003 when Ronaldo made his debut as a substitute against Bolton and turned an average 1-0 lead into a 4-0 whitewash. Supporters left the stadium buoyant that day, openly debating whether this was their first glimpse of the new George Best. Might this young boy have just produced the greatest debut in United history? It was a line the national media also ran with the following day.


Over the course of Cristiano Ronaldo's 292 appearances for the Red Devils there are countless great memories, but two in particular stand out for me. Firstly, Fulham away in February 2007. United had not won the league for 4 years at that time, but were riding high above Jose Mourinho and the all-powerful Chelsea machine.

After 88 minutes of Fulham dominance, and with everyone in the away end delighted to even be contemplating a point, Ronaldo picked up the ball on the halfway line. It seemed a harmless position, but from there his direct running and trickery took him on a magnificent slalom run past three players into the heart of Fulham's area before he guided home an unlikely but massively important winner. It was pandemonium in the stands. It was a game, and indeed championship-changing win. It was classic Cristiano Ronaldo.

The second such memory came a year later. This was in his all-conquering 42 goal season, at home to West Ham in a 4-1 win. Again, it was a must-win game for the Reds and tension was high prior to kick-off. We needn't have worried. In the 3rd minute Ronaldo picked up the ball on the right, beat one man with the back-heel-running-Cruyff-turn that became his trademark, charged into the box and smashed the ball into the net almost effortlessly. The ease with which he scored that goal perfectly epitomised the player he had become - ruthlessly effective, brutally brilliant.

By then it had become clear to all us United fans that we were truly witnessing the best player in the world. The skills, the flair, the rock star swagger, the unflinching confidence to try the extraordinary and the overwhelming talent to be able to pull it off, on a regular basis. This kid had the lot.


The void

However, now that he has left for Iberian shores, it must be acknowledged that Cristiano Ronaldo's departure leaves us in England worse off. In the great debate about best leagues in the world, here was the English Premier League's trump card, a player coveted by all teams in all leagues around the globe. The first and only player to ever win World Player of the Year whilst playing in England.

The hero and anti-hero rolled into one. Hated, adored but never ignored. One freelance photographer in Manchester looked almost distraught when interviewed about Ronaldo's transfer to Real Madrid. 'Who do we take pictures of now?' he mused openly. For the last 3 years at least, the man from Madeira has been the number one icon in English football, fodder for both front and back pages. Who indeed can fill that void?

Ronaldo divided opinion like no other. Sure he was brash, arrogant and controversial. In a country that values hard work over natural talent, Ronaldo grated people. He's got the skills, the talent, the looks and, worse, he knows it. But who cares? Wouldn't it be boring if all players were uniformly bland and anonymous? It's great to have the Scholeses of this world but by contrast there must also be a place for limelight seekers like Ronaldo.

Clearly there will be other superstars. In modern times David Beckham left a similar void (albeit less in terms of his impact as a player) but was eventually replaced in the superstar stakes by Thierry Henry. He too soon departed these shores for sunny Spain.

And of course the game over here will go on. Football is cyclical and this nation's passion for the sport is ceaseless. United will sign new players and find new superstars. Supporters in England will find someone new to talk about, someone new to love, someone new to hate. The Premier League will find a new golden boy, new people to market and new stars to groom in the battle for it's supremacy as a saleable product.

But, after all he has achieved it would take a foolish (or indeed very bitter) man to deny Cristiano Ronaldo his place in English football history, particularly in the Premier League era.

After scoring 118 goals, redefining the role of the winger, ushering in a new technique for free-kick taking, winning the Champions League, three Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups, a World Club Cup, two Community Shields, two PFA Players' Player of the Year awards, two Football Writers' Footballer of the Year awards, a Premier League Golden Boot, a European Golden Shoe, a Ballon D'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award - how could you?