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.

Side by Side with Neymar

During Barcelona's tour of South East Asia in Malaysia, Neymar Jr. paid a surprise visit to one of his biggest fans, Syafiq. In this new video from Nike Football we see the similarities in the Brazilian star and the young boys upbringing, the sacrifices made by their families and the footballing talent they posses. 

"My dreams growing up were to play professional football, to meet my idol Robinho and play alongside him. Syafiq's story is similar to mine, he believes in his dream", said Neymar whose name is inherited from his father, a former professional footballer.

Just like Neymar, Syafiq's father inspired him to play football and although sometimes Syafiq has to borrow his friends boots he is grateful for all he has. "I want to play my best and make my parents proud. They sacrificed so much for me, I can give them a better life and pay them back for what they've done for me."

Adding to the sentiment, Neymar states "Without family it's very difficult to achieve your dreams. My parents are fundamental to my dreams coming true, there's a similarity between his life and mine, he has some difficulties but he loves football."

Thank you Neymar for inspiring Syafiq and us ... all the way from Malaysia!!! 

Federer Still Majestic in Defeat

During Roger Federer’s hugely enjoyable defeat to Novak Djokovic in their opening World Tour Finals group match on Tuesday night, there was a moment when it became apparent that the Swiss master must go on playing until his legs beg him to stop.

A set and 2-1 down in the second stanza, Federer pulled out a marvellous hold to love, dispatched with the imperious arrogance that we saw so often in his pomp.

There were further moments of outstanding aesthetic and technical beauty, such as an impudent flicked return that caught Djokovic cold en route to a break of the Serb's serve, or the dominant tie-break that saw Federer level at one set apiece.

Whatever the detractors calling for his retirement may say, Federer is still the main attraction in men’s tennis. His popularity remains so much greater than that which accompanies Rafael Nadal (and that accompanied Pete Sampras) that you have to accept the sport of tennis is about much more than just the art of winning. Anyone present at the O2 or watching attentively at home would have noticed the bombastic roar that accompanied every flashing return, every crushing ace, every impudent flick of the backhand.

Federer's popularity is particularly notable when he plays indoors.

When the roof was called for in the second set of Federer’s 2012 Wimbledon final victory over Andy Murray, there was silent collective shrug among British tennis fans, probably including Murray himself.

A set to the good and apparently en route to a maiden Grand Slam title, the somewhat premature decision to draw Centre Court’s new roof – and spend the best part of 45 minutes allowing the court to acclimatise to the new conditions – played into Federer’s hands. For this was no longer a conventional grass-court final (grass being a surface that Murray has pretty much dominated in recent years), but an indoor title showdown. And Federer is arguably the greatest indoor player of all time.

Federer’s alarming 2013 slump is not entirely unexpected; the passing of time diminishes the physique and, while the Swiss was never overly reliant on strength or speed, the marginal decrease in his overall ability is inflated at the upper end of the rankings, in the latter stages of the five-setter.

But, as he showed in Bercy last week, Federer is still one of the sport’s prime indoor movers.

And again, even in defeat, in London Federer again proved he is a force to contend with under a roof.

Indoor tennis – particularly on the hard courts – is a technical leveller. The impact of the conditions is all-but eradicated, unless one has an aversion to the inevitable heat generated between a roof and four walls. You no longer have to hit through the wind or – in the case of the tactically unparalleled Murray – use the forces of nature to your shot-making and point-building advantage.

And technically Federer, still, is unrivalled. The delicate hands of Richard Gasquet and the searing winners of Stanislas Wawrinka come close, while the overall packages offered by Dokovic, Nadal and even Murray are of course now superior, but in terms of racquet manipulation and point anticipation Federer cannot be touched.

Realistically he will have to win most of his matches in two sets to have a chance of claiming a record seventh World Tour finals title; as soon as stamina and fitness enter the equation, the 32-year-old will struggle to cope with the power of Nadal, the flexibility of Djokovic (pictured at his bendy best below) and both men’s endless reserves of energy.

We saw that quite clearly tonight; Federer found the extra reserves needed to claw the second set back from Djokovic, but once it entered a third he faded badly. He simply cannot go the distance with the super-fit Serb – or Nadal, or Murray – at this stage of his career, certainly not enough regularity.

Of course Fed is unlikely to add another Grand Slam to his armoury; given the outstanding athleticism of the ‘big three’, he is unlikely to go the whole way in London (I would be delighted if he proves me wrong).

And of course the other big players are amazing to watch; in addition to his physical superiority and almost psychopathic mental strength, Djokovic also made some marvellous shots, such as the diving backhand across court that caught Federer cold during their second set tete-a-tete. Nole is clearly a vastly superior athlete and, as such, the better player.

But perhaps more than other sports, tennis is as much about entertainment as it is the pragmatism of victory. Gasquet, and fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, are equally unlikely to clinch an elusive Major, yet they remain immensely popular draws on the tour. Fabrice Santoro never broke into the top 10 but, a master of the trick-shot, he put bums on seats into his late thirties.

Should Federer wind down his career simply because he is no longer the best? Fans accustomed to his winning ways should remember that true support comes through thick and thin; even in the twilight of his career, Federer is still a joy to watch. Certainly more so than the drudgery of Nadal and David Ferrer's one-sided, baseline bar-fight earlier.

So just lower the expectation, sit back and prepare to be entertained, for aesthetically Federer remains the world’s number one.

Joe Hart’s Arrogance

Social media was awash with debate as to whether Joe Hart should have been dropped for the match against Norwich City this weekend. There is no debate. If he was a keeper not from these shores, then he would have been dropped long ago.

For Hart, read Manchester United’s Massimo Taibi. Taibi actually took the man-of-the-match award in his first game against Liverpool but was sold after only four appearances for the club having been labelled ‘the Blind Venetian’ – however, if his errors were catalogued alongside those of Hart, they would pale into insignificance.

Is Costel Pantilimon good enough to replace Hart in goal long term? In short, no. While he did not concede on his Premier League debut – that achievement must be given context: prior to the game, Johan Elmander, Gary Hooper and Ricky van Wolfswinkel had mustered a total of only six shots on target this season. They fared little better against City.

This was not a rigorous test of Pantilimon’s credentials but he was shaky enough at the three corners the visitors did muster to confirm that he is no solution to City’s goalkeeping woes. Don’t take my word for it though; take the word of Victor Piturca, his national team coach, who dropped him from the Romania squad for their World Cup play-off against Greece.

The question remains though, who or what is the solution. Is Hart? At the moment the answer is no. However, was he ever? How good is Joe Hart?

There is no doubting that he is a great shot stopper but that is a pre-requisite of a goalkeeper. If he were to be ranked in the list of England keepers of the modern era he would probably fall somewhere alongside Nigel Martyn. Martyn, a purveyor of the great saves but not a great keeper. This is not meant as a slight on either man. They are both solid Premier League goalkeepers.

The only shame is that England have no modern day David Seaman. The media, Hart’s coaches and the fans had Hart down as Seaman’s heir apparent long before he had a true test of his credentials. England’s short-sightedness is the stuff of legend abroad. It is mocked. Take for example Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s quotes after he scored four against England in a friendly last November.

"That's the way it is with the English," he said. "If you score against them you're a good player, if you don't score against them you're not a good player. I remember Lionel Messi before the 2009 Champions League final for Barcelona... then he scored against Manchester United and suddenly he was the best player in the world. Maybe now they'll say something like that about me."

There was hyperbole before the Euros in 2012 that Hart was on a level with Gianluigi Buffon, Iker Casillas and Manuel Neuer. He grew into that talk; at the time the hype bred confidence and for any player – but particularly goalkeepers - confidence is paramount. Look at Gareth Bale. Shorn of confidence, he was almost a makeweight in a deal that would have seen Spurs pay Middlesbrough £15 million and Bale for Stewart Downing; buoyed by confidence, he later became the world’s most expensive player.

However, as soon as that confidence becomes arrogance, it is a slippery slope to comeuppance – Hart’s descent commenced at the quarter-final stage of the Euros. Arrogantly shouting in the face of wily old dog Andrea Pirlo as the maestro stepped up to take his penalty. Pirlo’s response? A panenka. The result? Comeuppance.

Hart has not been the same since. It is a long road to redemption for a goalkeeper whose confidence must be shot to pieces after a terrible run of form, but it can be done. Look at the example of Bale or David De Gea, who could have fallen to the wayside in the same vein as the much maligned Taibi after a tumultuous start to his Manchester United career but showed great mental strength to improve as a player.

Can Hart do the same? Only time will tell. He must know his limitations and work on those – decision making can be worked on, so too command of the area but with Hart there is a reason there was hype. He is a good goalkeeper but he needs to work extremely hard to be talked about at the top table of world goalkeeping.

‘World class’ is an overused term but central to any player who has left a mark on the world game is an inner mental strength to rise above doubts but also to not let the hype go to his head.

Hart has failed at the latter, it is now time to see whether he can make a better fist of the former.