Cristiano Ronaldo has gone from strength to strength so far this season, assuring any doubters that he is in fact the greatest player in the World at the moment. With 27 goals in as many games this season, it looks as though there can be no stopping our young winger.
On Wednesday night, Ronaldo wrapped up the points for United against Portsmouth after just 13 minutes. He slotted in the first from a tight angle, and the second came from a perfectly executed freekick, which has received much praise since.
“It was a marvellous hit,” Ferguson said. “No goalkeeper in the world would have saved that. It’s the best free kick I’ve seen in the Premier League.” Ronaldo’s team mates joined in, Nemanja Vidic saying, “It was unbelievable. I think it was the best goal I’ve seen in a game I have played in.” Carrick added, “it was a fantastic free-kick, probably the best one he’s scored.”
Today, Ronaldo has been asked what is the story behind his great free kick technique. Sensibly, Ronaldo told them to jog on!
“The secret?” He said. “I will not reveal it, for I would be giving a trump card to my opponents. I can state only the success or failure at the moment of taking the free-kick is directly related to the position of the body, the way one runs towards the ball and the way one positions one’s feet. At that moment, I think only about which side of the net I’m going to aim for. I look at the ball, I look at the net and I say to myself ‘take the kick, Ronaldo’, then I shoot. Sometimes it ends well, sometimes not so well.”
Any ideas how he does it?
Of course I’ve no idea how he does it, but I do love the mystery. You think here is this young man in his early twenties gaining the respect of adults around the world. For him to sustain the incredible form he has, field the pressure that his reputation has afforded him, and still play up to the press with a little play at mystery… it’s astounding to me. So often we forget how young these players are. To think back to when I was Ronnie or Rooney’s age, it’s a completely different mindset and our lads step up to take on the responsibility. It makes me that much more proud to be a red.
I don’t know if you write under two names, but I believe someone stole your article.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/8253-NHL-European_Football-Ottawa_Senators-Portsmouth-Ronaldo_Shhhh_It_s_A_Secret-010208
jsos – you are right about what these kids are able to do under pressure. Clearly, one of the attributes that constitutes “character” is the ability to focus attention on the job but when you’re 19 or 21 and have oooooodles of money and adulation that’s a big ask.
For someone like Ronaldo – and to a lesser extent Rooney – there have also been really difficult personal and publicity issues to deal with: Ronaldo’s father died a couple of years ago, he was being bullied by RVN, and then he ended up in the center of a shitstorm after the World Cup. He probably can’t go anywhere without attracting undue -and uncalled for – attention.
From what I gather Rooney has responded to life in the fishbowl by retreating into his private “estate”, Rio leaves M/C for a day or two each week to cavort in Londo, and Ronaldo probably hires a private jet to get out of town for 24 or 26 hours of private R&R; who can blame them for that ?
Not everyone is like Becks – driven to be a publicity hound by his harridan of a wife. And, of course, most of these kids are just that – kids with huge amounts of money and wildly inflated egos. I would imagine that as many promising careers falter because of a lack of “character” as because of injury.
Well I can sometimes get a spinless ball with unpredictable movement when I smack it hard and get clean contact. Cristiano though, he just lashes out at the ball but carefully which is pretty funny unless you’re David James. He makes his balls move around so wildly all over the place with so much power that as long as he gets it on target, there is bound to be either a goal or a rebound. I think he can do it because he has so much strength in his legs, sort of like a normal person kicking a volleyball.