Best In The World

An article by Ian Ladyman

In ten years he has gone from a baby-faced lone ranger to an accomplished killer... forget Messi, Ibrahimovic, Ribery and the rest, Ronaldo is the best player in the world. 

As he reflected on one of the defining nights of a remarkable career, Cristiano Ronaldo veered away from the popular narrative with the same ease with which he had left Sweden's defenders floundering on Tuesday.

'Am I the best in the world?' he asked in Stockholm. 'I am not obsessed with it. I try to do my work.' While the football community squabbles over who should pick up the Ballon d'Or, it transpires that Ronaldo may not even attend the ceremony. If he doesn't, it would be perversely appropriate.

Portugal's dashing prince does not need a golden bauble to certify his majesty. He is the best footballer in the world right now. He knows it and the world knows it. What Ronaldo gave us in 29 stunning minutes at the Friends Arena on Tuesday will never be forgotten by those present. Three goals despatched with chilling certainty.

Afterwards, Sweden coach Erik Hamren seemed dazed. 'In the second half he took us to pieces,' he said. 'It was a shame because in the first half our plan to control him was working.' Hamren - a likeable man - was only half right.

Ronaldo had not scored in the first half but he had been the driving force behind growing Portuguese authority. This is what he does, he dictates matches from their very soul.

The statistics for Ronaldo's year are spellbinding. More goals than Liverpool, more than Tottenham, eight hat-tricks. Numbers in sport can be misleading. These ones aren't.

In Portugal he is feted, adored. Last week, one Portuguese journalist reflected on Ronaldo's failure to take a penalty as his country lost a semi-final shoot-out against Spain in Euro 2012 and said: 'He wasn't forgiven because he didn't need to be. He can do no wrong in our eyes. In Portugal he will never be criticised.'

Interestingly, the scales have also tipped that way for the 28-year-old in Spain, his adopted home. Ronaldo never shied away from hard work during his years at Manchester United. A bout of abdominal pain, for example, was attributed to a daily routine of 700 press-ups.

'What we are seeing with Cristiano is the result of utter dedication to becoming the very best,' tweeted former United fitness coach Mick Clegg on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, Ronaldo also had to be indulged at Old Trafford. Outside the United fortress, he was admired but not loved, while inside he was subjected to the odd bout of mockery. The story of how he once recommended a face cream to a female MUTV presenter still causes chuckles in the dressing room, and one player removed his wash bag from an overhead airplane locker while quipping to journalists: 'Cristiano's wouldn't fit up here.'

In short, vanity - selfishness even - was a recurring theme of Ronaldo's time in England and perhaps during his early time in Spain. That has gone now.

The modern Ronaldo is recognised as a footballer in the purest terms. As he has grown as a player and a person, so he has come to understand the essence of his sport. He is more mature off the field, too, raising his son Cristiano Ronaldo Jnr, although the identity of the mother remains a mystery.

At United, Ronaldo was shepherded through his formative years but at Real he has become a leader, the captain of Carlo Ancelotti's team in spirit if not in name.

'He can't be captain because of the tradition of giving the armband to the longest-serving player,' said a well-placed Spanish source. 'But ignore that. Ronaldo heads this team.'

An example of Ronaldo's security is found in his treatment of Gareth Bale. Some players may have seen Bale's arrival at Real as a threat, an invasion of personal space. Bale's associates, though, tell of how Ronaldo has stepped forward as the Welshman's fiercest ally, helping him to overcome language problems and adapt to cultural change. This is the hallmark of a footballer finally comfortable in his own skin.

Jose Mourinho's tenure could have broken Ronaldo, especially with an offer from his formative club in England in the back of his mind. In many ways, though, it proved to be the making of him.

His refusal to side with Mourinho in his countryman's ugly war with Spaniards Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos earned him acceptance. In a recent game against Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu, the crowd sang as one, imploring that their star forward be given the Ballon d'Or.

Two seasons ago, that would not have happened. Even some Barcelona supporters tolerate Ronaldo now, his refusal to get involved with Mourinho's baiting of their club having been recognised in Catalonia.

So, as he approaches his 29th birthday in February, Ronaldo casts a spell over the sport that he could never have dreamed of when he first came to the world's attention in a simple pre-season game in August 2003.

I was there that balmy night at the Stadio Jose Alvalade when an 18-year-old Ronaldo terrorised United for Sporting Lisbon. 'He gave John O'Shea a migraine,' said Sir Alex Ferguson in his recent book.

All I remember of that night is seeing a kid in white boots with a famous name running at defenders as if on a mission to complete a world record of step-overs. Ferguson was already on to him, of course. Within a week he was at Old Trafford and the seeds of legend had been sown.

In Stockholm, it was tempting to reflect on those 10 years. Ronaldo has gone from a baby-faced lone ranger to an accomplished killer with steel in his eyes. He is the best player in the world and it is tempting to suggest the circle of his career is complete.