Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the most gifted players of his
generation has frequently been accused of bending the rules to his
advantage or outright 'simulation'.
Sportsmail's expert panel offer their frank opinions on the great
debate
ANDY TOWNSEND
If a defender is dumb enough to offer a leg, then Ronaldo will hit
the ground. Is that cheating? Running at speed, with the ball at
his feet, watching for a clumsy leg, waiting for the chance to go
down.
The problem with Cristiano Ronaldo is that he is cute, more skilled
at his art than the defenders he comes up against. The public are
concerned and looking for cheats. Ronaldo isnt one of them.
Theyve seen people like Arjen Robben and Didier Drogba of Chelsea
in the past, players who are not very good at it. Ronaldo is
different. Against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup, he dragged his back
leg and waited for the challenge. Jonathan Woodgates mistake was
making it, inviting Ronaldo to go to ground.
Liverpools Steven Gerrard is good at it and I played with John
Aldridge, who was a master at winning penalties. Evertons Andrew
Johnson is another. He is a busy, quick, hungry little fella who
drives into dangerous areas at speed. Hes not a cheat,
either.
Watch Ronaldo and how quickly he moves the ball, shifting it,
changing it between his feet, looking and waiting for a clumsy foot
from a defender being forced back towards his goal. It isnt new.
Francis Lee was very good at it, so was Rodney Marsh, who once told
me that he practised it feeling for the touch from the defender
and then going to ground.
Ronaldo will do it again, but he is no cheat.
JAMIE REDKNAPP
If England are drawing 0-0 in Tel Aviv on Saturday and Andrew
Johnson races through, sees the chance to win a penalty, because of
an awkward tackle, what do you want him to do? Stay on his feet and
celebrate the good old English honesty? Is that the same honesty
that saw England out of the World Cup early again last summer,
while Portugal dived for fun and France and Italy didnt need much
of an invite to go to ground?
I am not condoning cheating, simply saying that the game has
changed. If we want to embrace the foreign players for their skill
and entertainment, then we need to accept that going to ground is
part of their make-up.
The furore surrounding Ronaldo is in danger of driving him out of
English football and towards Real Madrid. Apart from a few full
backs, who will be happy with that? I want to see that boy remain
in the Premiership. He is a remarkable footballer, an incredible
talent. A powerful, awesome match-winner of a player, who has
scored 34 goals in 90 League starts for United.
He hurts the opposition with his driving power and it is inevitable
that he will win penalties if a defender allows him into the box
and then clumsily lunges in. He is cute, dangerous, he looks for
the dangling leg he waits for it, he sees it, he goes for it.
Hes like a fisherman dangling his bait and waiting for the
catch.
Is there any difference between Ronaldo and Michael Owen when hes
playing for England? Owens pace made him a danger, hed draw a
clumsy tackle and would go over. England won a penalty at the World
Cup against Argentina like that. I cant help thinking there is an
overreaction to Ronaldo; that he is a foreigner, so he must be a
cheat. But what if that attitude towards him forces him away?
The Premiership would be a sad place without him.
JOHN BARNES
Dont blame the player, blame the laws. Flair players are too
protected now. Football has become almost a non-contact sport, you
cant tackle. In my day, if I had tried to trick Stuart Pearce into
conceding a penalty with a few step-overs, I would have ended up in
row Z and referees would be saying: "Well done, who does he think
he is?"
I didnt go down because I wouldnt win free-kicks. If I was
playing now with these rules, of course I would do all I could to
gain an advantage. I wouldnt say its an art, but if you are
touched, you go down. The rules protect the skilful players in the
name of entertainment.
So Ronaldo must be a nightmare to play against, because the odds
are stacked against the defenders and he is terrific at gaining an
advantage. He is no worse or no different to other quick players
who will run into the danger areas, such as Liverpools Craig
Bellamy or Evertons Andrew Johnson.
Ronaldo has been involved in some diving before, but not this
season. He has removed it from his game and is a better player for
it. I cant help thinking that he is being judged with the baggage
of the summer, when he was accused of getting Wayne Rooney sent off
in the World Cup.
Just like David Beckham in 1998, we live in a blame culture and
Ronaldo has been wrongly accused of forcing England out of the
tournament. There is a fine line between leaving a trailing leg and
cheating. Robert Pires used to do it blatantly at Arsenal and that
was cheating. Ronaldo is different. He moves so quickly that the
slightest touch will send him off balance.
With the modern football rules, thats enough.
DANNY MILLS
When Ronaldo first came here, you could try to intimidate him. Not
any more. Hes stronger, quicker and more direct. His superficial
skills have turned into dynamic, penetrative ones. So does a full
back get touch tight to him and risk the space in behind (where
Wayne Rooney can wreak havoc), or let him run at you? I would
humbly suggest the best way to try to play him is to get in his
face, before or as he receives the ball.
Conceding the odd foul high up the pitch by leaning in or nudging
him can disrupt his and his teams rhythm, allowing your own team
to get back and help. He has learned to vary his game, hugging the
touchline and then drifting inside, getting in between defenders in
no-mans-land. Its what we hate. If you get sucked in too tight,
too early, then he spins in behind you and theres no chance of
catching him. On the other hand if you drop off and allow him to
run at you, then he can twist you inside out.
Ideally, a team should try to stop the supply, but thats easier
said than done with the passing range of his team-mates Paul
Scholes or Michael Carrick. In his early days, Ronaldo would use
tricks and flicks, giving a good defender half a chance. Now, he
can go either way, with either foot constantly manipulating the
ball to take you off balance.
If he gets you going backwards, you need to try to delay him, wait
for other players to come and double up, but if its one-on-one you
have to try to nick the ball away from him. His reactions are
lighting fast and if you catch him, he will invariably go down. He
is very clever at what he does.
If there is contact, under the rules, he has a right to go down and
the right to force the referee to make a decision, its not
cheating its using the laws to their maximum.
Ronaldo is a magnificent footballer. In this form, almost
unstoppable.
