Jamie Redknapp
Ronaldo epitomises United's swagger
Boo Cristiano Ronaldo if you must, but surely it's also time to
appreciate the qualities of this powerhouse of a player.
It would be foolish to ask for supporters to stop taunting him,
because they won't, but perhaps it's worth remembering that the
last Manchester United player to emerge from a World Cup with a
battered image was David Beckham, who began the 1999 season as
public enemy No1 and finished it with a treble.
Such success is not beyond Ronaldo and his rampant Manchester
United team-mates. The top scorers' list for the Premiership has
three United players in the leading group, with Ronaldo their
highest scorer with 10 League goals and 12 in all competitions.
While Chelsea are relying on the goals of the ferocious Didier
Drogba, Ronaldo is carrying the fight to them from the red
corner.
Even when United had a poor day at West Ham recently, Ronaldo must
have created five or six chances for himself. Currently, he is
overshadowing Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford and there is no sign of
World Cup fatigue from the flying winger.
The only World Cup hangover is from opposition supporters, who want
to blame him for England's exit from Germany and his part in
Rooney's red card. It's time to get over it.
How do opponents stop him? He comes at you with such force, such
pace. Kick him? He's too strong for that. Believe me, at 6ft 1in he
is fast and direct and strong too.
We are used to producing nippy little wingers in this country, who
have pace but can be bullied out of a game. Not Ronaldo. When I
played against him, I marvelled at his strength but he is getting
bigger and more direct. He has become a punishing force and his
influence on the United team is growing by the game, even coming
off the bench to score twice more against Wigan on Boxing
Day.
He used to overcomplicate his game. Why beat a player once when you
can try and beat him again and again? His dancing runs and
step-overs used to frustrate his team-mates, because they wanted an
early ball into the box.
Now he has simplified his approach. He will still mesmerise a
full-back, but he can create openings for team-mates and his goal
record shows that he can finish too. It is a developing part of his
game. In his first season in England, he scored six goals; in his
second season, he scored nine goals, but didn't score his first
until December.
Last season, he scored 12 goals. Now he has a dozen already and,
having been set a target of 15 by his manager, the dressing room is
now urging him to emulate the 20-plus goals scored from midfield by
Frank Lampard last season.
With Rooney and Louis Saha weighing in too, you can see why there
is such confidence about United. Like Ronaldo, they have a bit of a
swagger about them going into 2007.
Booing Ronaldo hasn't had an adverse effect on the player. He looks
to be inspired by it. He has cleaned up his diving too. He used to
go over too quickly, especially for a big, strong lad, but now he
is staying on his feet and has learned there are more ways to hurt
the opposition than tumbling over.
Middlesbrough supporters and their manager, Gareth Southgate, were
aggrieved by a penalty awarded when Ronaldo went to ground under a
challenge from Mark Schwarzer, but it was his pace that carried him
through into the box, he draws fouls and he will win free kicks and
penalties. We have to accept that.
I don't expect an overnight change in the reaction to him. We are
not all about to fall in love with Ronaldo suddenly, but I hope
that in time there can be respect and admiration for his
talents.
We've seen a player of similar ability, Thierry Henry, given
respect on his travels. Portsmouth fans once gave him a standing
ovation after one game at Fratton Park and he has since spoken
about their passion and support.
I heard once of a long queue of Manchester City fans waiting for
Gianfranco Zola, who then stayed and signed all their autographs
while the team bus waited for him. Maybe Ronaldo can learn from
these experiences. Perhaps he has a role model closer to home in
Ryan Giggs.
Sir Alex Ferguson once told me that Ronaldo would become the best
player in the world. At the age of 22, he is already on his way to
becoming the best player in the Premiership.
After Eric Cantona, Henry, Zola, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Dennis
Bergkamp and Paolo Di Canio, to name just a handful of the great
foreign entertainers, we have another. Let's celebrate that.
