Cristiano Ronaldo

[Anderson's God]

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to quit football when he was a child prodigy because he was mocked over his accent as an academy youngster.

He told Champions magazine he was crying to his mother on the phone and begging to return to his island home of Madeira in Portugal.

Ronaldo, who was 12 when he left for Sporting Lisbon, said: "As soon as I opened my mouth, they immediately started laughing and mocking. I was traumatised. I felt like a clown. I cried with shame.

"I called my mother saying I could not stand it, that the other kids were making fun of me and that I wanted to return home. Today, I am very proud of my accent. I find it striking." :( :(

[carlyluvsunited]

The Boy Who Cried Wolf - Ronaldo Pays The Price

When thinking of Ronaldo, the boy who cried wolf springs to mind. When he
joined the club as a skinny teenager, he brought his European tactics of diving
along with him. Don’t get me wrong, I am not for one moment suggesting that
diving is a foreign activity to English players (eh, Stevie Me? Joe Cole? Etc.), but
Ronaldo was far more obvious with it, therefore, far more irritating to the fans,
our own and rivals alike. He might have been fouled, or there might have been
no contact at all, but it wouldn’t stop Ronaldo from falling in such a dramatic way,
that at times, left us as United fans rather embarrassed.

The summer before last, when watching United’s pre-season tour in Asia, it
noticed that Ronaldo had really bulked up. He didn’t look like the waif of a
teenage winger we’d had before, but rather a strong looking man. His shoulders
were much broader and he was carrying extra muscle. He had been transformed,
both physically, and mentally as well. This pre-season tour followed the
World Cup in which Ronaldo had been singled out as the reason why England
had been knocked out. He was being abused in the street, the homes of his
relatives as well as his own were vandalised, and he wasn’t far away from
upping and leaving for the sunshine and hassle-free life Spain offered him.

Ronaldo started the season the most hated man in England, booed every time his
name on the team sheet was read out, and every time he even got close to the
ball. This period in Ronaldo’s life was the best thing that could have happened for
United. The transformation was complete. Ronaldo was bigger and tougher,
Ronaldo was not only physically more able to stay on his feet, but consciously
made an effort to do so, Ronaldo was kicked from pillar to post in every match he
played, but kept his cool and gave everything he could, and thanks to our booing
and whistling rivals fans, Ronaldo now had a point to prove and motivation to do
so…Ronaldo was becoming one of the greatest players in the World.

Sir Alex Ferguson has time and again called for better protection from the
referees, who seem to waft away far too many fouls when Ronaldo is the victim.
It is by pure good fortune that we have yet to lose him to a serious injury when
considering how many times he is fouled in a game. The opposition fans urge for
their players to foul him and cheer when they do so. The player who sticks it to
Ronaldo is celebrated by their fans, and the referees do too little to stop it.


Yesterday, as we sat watching our team effortlessly brush aside Fulham, who
looked to be defeated before a kick of the ball, Ronaldo shone all over the field.
Ronaldo has now scored thirteen goals in sixteen games, which is
remarkable for any player, let alone a winger. Before last night, he had scored
two goals a game on three occasions this season, desperately seeking the
United hatrick which has eluded him so far.

With ten minutes to go last night, it appeared as though Ronaldo was finally
going to get his wish, as he went to take the ball around Fulham keeper Niemi,
who had flown prematurely out of his goal. The keeper dived to the ground
getting nothing on the ball, forcing Ronaldo to jump over him, falling to the
ground. The referee waved play on. Every person in the stadium could see it was
a penalty, apart from the men that counted, the linesman who had a shocking
game. As United fans jumped from the seats, assuming the only decision the
referee could make was to point to the spot, we were fuming when the referee
pulled out the yellow card to book Ronaldo for diving. Isn’t Styles the big man,
the celebrity, denying United a penalty in front of the Stretford End ?

Ferguson was also left fuming over the decision, although it matter little,
considering the three points were in the bag “The penalty kick incident is a result
of perceived idea of the referee that Ronaldo dives,” said Ferguson. “In fairness
to the referee Niemi got him booked. Why would he dive? He’s on a hat-trick. It
was a ridiculous decision".

Frank Stapleton makes the obvious argument. Why would Ronaldo dive to win a
penalty, when if clearing the goalkpeer, he had an open net to score in? “It was
a definite penalty. From where I was sat in the ground, the player knocked the
ball past the goalkeeper and went round him. There was no point in diving to
the ground as he was putting the ball into an empty net. There wasn’t a Fulham
defender close by and there was contact. The goalkeeper couldn’t really get out
of the way, but I think the referee made a mistake. It’s a pity because I think
Ronaldo has taken diving out of his game now. When he first came into the
Premier League he went down very easily because that was part of his culture
in Portugal. But now he’s a much more mature player. That was a guaranteed
hat-trick for him because even if you win the penalty, you can’t be sure that
you’ll score. So I think it was a very harsh decision.”

However, this isn’t the first time United have been denied a stonewall penalty at
Old Trafford this season, despite the myths surrounding our ground. Whilst of
course no bitter takes in to account we’ve been the most successful attacking
team over the past fifteen years, so simple probability suggest we’ll win more
penalties than most teams, we have had our fair share of softer penalties during
the latest golden period. However, since the big hoo-hah has kicked off over
refereeing decisions at Old Trafford in the past few years, it appears as though
referees enjoy waving away perfectly reasonable penalty claims. They love
being the centre of attention, proving that not all referees buy in to the magic of
the Theatre of Dreams, and they won’t be swayed by our 76,000 crowd. The fact
they are failing to make the correct decision and award us the penalty for a foul
seems to pass them by.

Before Mike Dean lost the plot when refereeing the game between us and
Chelsea at Old Trafford this year, Patrice Evra was denied a stone wall penalty
after Joe Cole took him out (the player who was guilty of two red card offences
that day, but managed to leave the field at the end of the match with just a
yellow). The Independent comments on Dean’s “erratic decision” in failing to
award us a penalty for Cole’s “crude foul” on Evra. Less than twenty minutes had
been played, and Dean just didn’t have the bottle to become another statistic,
knowing if he awarded that penalty in front of the Stretford End, with just over
fifteen minutes played, he would also have to send Joe Cole off. He just didn’t
have the nerve. It was his inability to make this decision which likely lead to the
fuss that followed, sending off Mikel, failing to send off Joe Cole a second time for
a awful foul on Ronaldo etc. He was performing a balancing act between wrong
decision after wrong decision. If only he was man enough to give that penalty on
seventeen minutes, he might have seen a more favourable write-up of his
performance the following day in the press.

Michael Brown, remember him? The thug who stamped on Giggsy on the opening
day of last season and got away with just a yellow card? Well now playing for
Wigan, he should have seen his side concede a penalty after just four minutes
earlier this season. He simply barged Ronaldo over in the box, making no effort
to go for the ball. Who didn’t have the balls this time? Our old friendly Mike
Riley. “Referee Mike Riley’s inexplicable decision not to award Ronaldo an early
penalty, when he collected the rebound and was instantly bundled over by
Michael Brown, was also significant,” said Sky Sports. “Ronaldo gathered up the
loose ball and looked to be clearly fouled by Michael Brown, but referee Mike Riley
waved play on,” said the BBC. It was The Independent who I believe phrased it
best, saying that Ronaldo “is now suffering like the boy who cried wolf – or in his
case “penalty” – being denied legitimate appeals because of his reputation.

Ronaldo is the constant victim, after being wrongly framed as England’s World exit
villain, coupled with the judgement he receives based on how he played as a
boy, rather than how he actually players now, as a man. People who watch
United week in week out, our fans, can see the difference in the player. Bitters
and WUMs still harp on about his diving ways, but all you have to do is watch the
player to see that he has virtually cut it out of his game. He can still be guilty of
going down to ground too easily at times, but with foul after foul being waved
on, I don’t begrudge him the decision to go down under a weaker foul, in hope
that finally the ref will give him a break. He is certainly not alone in that regard,
and you can point the finger at nearly every Premiership player for that.

Ronaldo appears to continue to go on from strength to strength, and is now the
joint highest scorer in the league (despite the three match ban he faced for a red
card against Pompey). I can only praise his attitude on the pitch, rarely reacting
despite being the constant focus of rival antagonism and referee unfairness. But
it’s about time he was cut some slack, and referees grew some balls, allowing
themselves to award Ronaldo a penalty without fear of the fierce media reaction
they anticipate. Until then, Ronaldo is going to have to keep on with what he
does best, playing the game, and hopefully sooner rather than later he’ll get his
deserved hatrick.www.RoM.org

What do you think? Does Ronaldo still dive or is he not being protected enough
by referees?

[red_devils4life]

I'm not a diver, insists Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo insisted he is an honest player after Rob Styles denied him a penalty - and a hat-trick chance - in Monday's win over Fulham.

After scoring both United's goals in their 2-0 win at Old Trafford, Ronaldo was denied an opportunity to complete his first United hat-trick when Styles ruled he dived over Cottagers keeper Antti Niemi as the pair went for Louis Saha's through ball.

Instead of awarding United a penalty, Styles booked Ronaldo for gamesmanship, a decision TV replays later suggested was incorrect.

Sir Alex Ferguson claimed Styles had been 'conned' by Niemi, who correctly asserted he had not touched Ronaldo, covering up the fact he had not touched the ball.

But if the United man had not taken evasive action, he would almost certainly have been flattened.

Ronaldo, runner-up to Kaka in the prestigious Ballon D'Or, was not quite as forceful as his manager, instead insisting it was simply a bad call.

"I try to do my job and I try to play honestly," he said.

"I respect the referee's decision but I do not have the same opinion because I thought it was a penalty.

"If you see the replay, the goalkeeper never touched the ball, so it is frustrating the referee gave me a yellow card."

Ferguson felt Ronaldo had been the victim of a diving tag which was attached to the winger during his early days at United but which has gradually been lost amid his sublime form over the past 18 months.

"His reputation from years ago is still playing on the minds of referees," said the United manager.

"It is quite unfair because he is nothing like that now. He is more mature and a magnificent footballer.

"Why would he want to go down? He was on a hat-trick, he had gone round the keeper and he was brought down. It was a ridiculous decision."

Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez was quick to defend Niemi, although he attempted to side-step the issue over whether Ronaldo had dived or should have been awarded a spot-kick.

"Antti was trying to tell the referee he had not touched Ronaldo - and he hadn't," said Sanchez.

"Maybe if Ronaldo had dragged his feet he would have got a penalty but he didn't, he sprawled over him. Is that a penalty or not? I don't know. But if he had gone straight over the top he probably would have scored."

Nevertheless, Ronaldo's double - his 11th for United - took his tally for the season to 13, just 10 behind last term's incredible total.

It allowed United to jump back into second spot in the Premier League table, three points adrift of leaders Arsenal, who also have a game in hand.

"I said at the start of the season that after finishing so far behind last year Arsenal and Liverpool wouldn't want that again," observed Ferguson, who confirmed both Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand had been forced off after a stomach virus hit the United camp this week.

"We expected improvement from them both. Arsenal are doing very well, Liverpool are winning a few games and Chelsea's form since they lost to us has been very good.

"I think you are going to get that now. It is going to be a real battle for the league."

[reddwarf]

Ronaldo was a diver when he moved to United but for the most part he has got rid of that side of his game.

Ronaldo strikes me as the type of person who would take a dive to win the FA Cup Final for United in the final minute but would not take a dive if he's about to score a hattrick against Fulham!!!

He has a bad reputation though so sometimes he'll win a penalty/free-kick and sometimes he won't. I think Ronaldo is (statistically) the most fouled player in the Premiership because he runs at players at speed so is easy to bring down...this doesn't mean he'll always go down easily though.

[nabcake]

i'm not against ronaldo or anything... but when i see him play it seems to me that he goes down easier than say like rooney or scholes. Maybe its just becuz of him running at full speed ...dunno..

[Justice]

Victimised.
He hasnt dived in months, and months before that. Referees just see him and think diver, its the first thing that comes to there minds.

[Jazz 16]

Ill be the first to admit that the incident ****ed me right off. It was a stonewall penalty. fergie came out about Ronnies reputation preceding him etc etc. Ronnie didnt make a huge fuss which was big of him and mature. The main thing is that at least the penalty didnt affect the result.
This could turn out to be a blessing in disguise Im thinking. Now EVERY ref, linesman, person in the country is aware of this happening so next time he will be given the decision for sure.... thats what I think anyway.

[Keano4taoiseach]

Ill be the first to admit that the incident ****ed me right off. It was a stonewall penalty. fergie came out about Ronnies reputation preceding him etc etc. Ronnie didnt make a huge fuss which was big of him and mature. The main thing is that at least the penalty didnt affect the result.
This could turn out to be a blessing in disguise Im thinking. Now EVERY ref, linesman, person in the country is aware of this happening so next time he will be given the decision for sure.... thats what I think anyway.


yes that's true.....especially the poorer refs and linesmen and the inexperienced ones......

It is wrong but it is what will happen.......

Speaking of which...there is nothing worse in sport than when a team is getting trounced and the referee starts to award them frees and decisions for nothing.....

just thought I would get that off my chest.....:)

[The_Red_Prince]

Victimised.
He hasnt dived in months, and months before that. Referees just see him and think diver, its the first thing that comes to there minds.

i think that why the ref never gave him the penalty in the fulham game.

[Agind]

He's suffering with dive reputation.
And i think the ref. quality today need to be ask.
Not just from Fergie questioning but also other manager also questioning same condition

[carlyluvsunited]

I'm not too happy with him right now.

Ah yes he has scored plenty of goal this season and played some beautiful
football too.

On Monday night he received some harsh treatment - yet again - at the hands of
a referee......and that made me pretty mad too.

Niemi came rushing out of his goal - got nowhere near the ball - and then stuck
his arms up in the air !!

He DID bring Ronaldo down - he SHOULD have been sent off and United should
have then been awarded penalty kick too.

Once again I spent the week defending him too - as the usual crap comes from
the Liverpool supporters and Arse supporters. I always defend him actually.

But then yesterday he lets us all down.

In the 92nd minute - when we lead 3-1 - he runs into the box and a half hearted
attempt at a tackle comes his way.....

So what did he do ?

He left his legs behind and went flying face down along the floor.....a la Steven
Gerrard !!!

Yes fine we won the penalty - and scored another goal we didn't really
need.....and now we the fans have to face the crap about the 'Portugese Diver'.

We'll always love you and defend you Ronnie but don't take the p*** !!!

[RichardsReds]

Yeah Carly i completely agree with you, i was a little put off by his dive last night. Even more so that Tevez didn't take the penalty.

Although it wasn't a total dive, he just created a foul. Still not that sporting. 3-1 would have been a fine scoreline.

[Jazz 16]

lol I was waiting for this thread to start and you pretty much hit the nail on the head Carly. We dont like to see this carry on and cheating. He didnt get the decision on Monday and that probably stuck in his head. At 3-1 up it was unecessary but judging by his celebration he was pumped up all right. Just when he was getting a better reputation he goes and does this. He will find it hard to shift that stigma.
Hopefully he keeps banging in the goals whilst cutting that pathetic diving out of his game.

[red_devils4life]

Tis naughty boi juz deserves a tight slap on his sexy butt! Grow up Ronnie! Get up from ur ass & learn how to stop diving from Wazza! In my sense,he's an almost-perfect professional football player. Minus all the Oscar-winning theatrics,I'm sure he could grab the FIFA World Player of the Year 2007 award from Kaka's hands!

[carlyluvsunited]

lol I was waiting for this thread to start and you pretty much hit
the nail on the head Carly. We dont like to see this carry on and cheating. He
didnt get the decision on Monday and that probably stuck in his head. At 3-1 up it
was unecessary but judging by his celebration he was pumped up all right. Just
when he was getting a better reputation he goes and does this. He will find it
hard to shift that stigma.

Hopefully he keeps banging in the goals whilst cutting that pathetic diving out of
his game.Yes I read plenty books about Sir Matt - and you never saw
ANY of his players EVER do this.


I watch George Best on youtube and sometimes players SMASHED into him and
he carried on - Law, Charlton and all the rest were the same too.....They
sometimes try to break Nobby Stiles legs - but no problem he too carried on and
NO DIVING !!!

Fergie needs to make big moves to sort this boy out because he makes me very
very proud to support United most of the time - and then makes us look fools in
an instant !! :mad:

COME ON FERGIE !!

[Justice]

I laughed, but its out of order, Fergie needs to put a stop to it.

[Keano4taoiseach]

I laughed, but its out of order, Fergie needs to put a stop to it.


Yes I agree.....but the question is.....Will he.....??

[NateR]

Do you think it is at all possible, he actually slipped because of the wet pitch....

In anycase, if he did it deliberately, then shame on him.

[Anderson's God]

Well United would have won no matter what against Derby!

[Jazz 16]

Well United would have won no matter what against Derby!

Thats not the point though. You are avoiding the issue AG. Doesnt matter what the score was or the circumstances. What he did was wrong and I hope nobody agrees with what he did, because its playacting/cheating and doesnt belong in a mans game.

[carlyluvsunited]

Do you think it is at all possible, he actually slipped because of the wet pitch....

No.....

Already I tried this excuse with some friends of mine.....

I pick them up from casualty department soon - they needed treatment for split sides from laughing so much :o

[Anderson's God]

Thats not the point though. You are avoiding the issue AG. Doesnt matter what the score was or the circumstances. What he did was wrong and I hope nobody agrees with what he did, because its playacting/cheating and doesnt belong in a mans game.


I am not avoiding the issue, I am just saying what difference does it make now. United were going to win anyway. If he did it or not, or if he was right are not - its done!

[carlyluvsunited]

I am not avoiding the issue, I am just saying what difference does it make now. United were going to win anyway. If he did it or not, or if he was right are not - its done!Jazz point is though - when will it ever stop ?

Will it EVER stop........

I don't know about other people but it's embarassing when people call him 'diver' etc etc.......he is a GREAT GREAT player and there is no need for this now or in the future !!! :mad:

[Ajant]

I hjaven't seen the incident, hopefully I will view it tonight, but come on how do we know it's a dive for sure? Have any of you played the game? I've been playing since I was 7, and last fews at a pretty high level(represented Western Australia and all that stuff) it is very easy to go down under the slightest of contacts. The pitch can play a part too and the speed and balance of a player aswell. Now, i admit yeah he has been theatrical in the past, and I will comment further when I've seen this incident.

I'm sure Fergie isn't happy if he perceives it as a dive, but unfortunately if it was, football's football and the will to win and score and deliver is far too great nowadays. And you cannot entirely compare present players to past players. Things have changed, immensely. Ronaldo will 'grow out' of this I am sure. But it's very easy for us to ridicule him and others (Gerrard and co) but really looks CAN be deceiving. Trust me.

[CROoney]

Do you think it is at all possible, he actually slipped because of the wet pitch....

In anycase, if he did it deliberately, then shame on him.
i've just seen the incident - and that was a disgrace !!! he actually deliberately hit defender in the leg then fell down ! A disgrace ! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
and he was being an ******* by rejecting tevez' pleas to take the pen ! his big ego once again on the stage by saying - "hey it's your first season here and you can't get a hattrick before me"
anyway - so disappointed with the lad - if he wasn't ours i wouldn't like him...that's for sure...

[nabcake]

he wont be able to reach his goal to be a "united legend" if he continues these bs

[reddwarf]

I couldn't really see the incident from where I was sitting because it was at the other end of the pitch. I just saw Ronaldo go down and immediately jumped up shouting for a penalty - as you do!

I haven't seen a replay of it yet (although I recorded MOTD so will look at it tonight) so don't know if he dived.

I know Ronaldo is the penalty taker and he's trying to score as many goals as possible but I was disappointed that he didn't let Tevez take it and so were most of the crowd, judging by the boos!

[red_devils4life]

i've just seen the incident - and that was a disgrace !!! he actually deliberately hit defender in the leg then fell down ! A disgrace ! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
and he was being an ******* by rejecting tevez' pleas to take the pen ! his big ego once again on the stage by saying - "hey it's your first season here and you can't get a hattrick before me"anyway - so disappointed with the lad - if he wasn't ours i wouldn't like him...that's for sure...


U sum it all up 4 me. Also,I definitely agree with these two points. I think it will be really very embarrasing for Ronnie if Tevez manages to get a hat-trick in juz his first season, & Ronnie didn't even get it since joining United 4 seasons ago.
On yeah, & if he really isn't our player........I would hate him to the core

[dovorian]

To be fair to Ronnie, that is the only way he can get a penalty. Every other time the ref thinks he dived...... Thats possibly why he keeps diving.

[SolskjaertheLegend]

U sum it all up 4 me. Also,I definitely agree with these two points. I think it will be really very embarrasing for Ronnie if Tevez manages to get a hat-trick in juz his first season, & Ronnie didn't even get it since joining United 4 seasons ago.


Well since Ronaldos a midfielder, and Tevez a striker i dont think he has much to worry about :rolleyes:

All Ronaldo has to do is look at the top scorers list.

[CROoney]

To be fair to Ronnie, that is the only way he can get a penalty. Every other time the ref thinks he dived...... Thats possibly why he keeps diving.
nooo...he keeps diving becuse it's in his genes... In the continent diving is not anything strange - just look at Italians or Nedved... everybody dives...even the English, but some of you just ignore it... Ronaldo dived similar like Rooney against campbell or Ortega against Stam at the WC 98... ortega was booked then sent off for headbutting VDS...

Yep I do know....I'm not the only one talking about who took the penalty. (re:reddwarfs post)
Of course he had every right... He's our first taker. But if he had a bit smaller ego he would have given it to Tevez ! Heck even the idiot like Jens Lehmann gave his place to Kahn at the last match on the WC. And he didn't have to, it is a nice gesture by which you improve relations amoung the team. Next time Tevez and Ronaldo go 2 on 1 I wouldn't swear that Tevez wouldn't try finishing by himself.... I know I would... That tells a lot about your personality... That's why Kaka will always be everyone's favourite for Player of the Year

[reddwarf]

I watched the highlights last night and he definitely dived. Such a shame that such a talented player feels it necessary to do that - especially in the last minute of a game we are winning comfortably.

[CROoney]

I watched the highlights last night and he definitely dived. Such a shame that such a talented player feels it necessary to do that - especially in the last minute of a game we are winning comfortably.
and because of that i say he still hasn't learned to put the team in front of his ego... now everyone will continue talking how we get imaginable penalties and we cheat and stuff like that.. the kid is obviously so self-centred and stupid. i can't find any excuse than that

[eoininho]

him diving against derby is the reason he wasnt given the legit penalty against fulham. hes his own worst enemy!

im in favour of bringin in 3game suspensions for any1 caught diving

[nabcake]

would you guys want a ronaldo with diving or no ronaldo at all?

i'd take ronaldo w/ diving...

[davster23]

wasnt it the first penalty ronaldo has attempted this campaign? this situation is exactly like how torres scored a brace against porto, then penalty and regular pk taker gerrard stepped up and dispatched of it routinely. I thought torres wouldve been asked to take it.

[RichardsReds]

Evra also dived against Lisbon... Cut the crap lads!

[carlyluvsunited]

him diving against derby is the reason he wasnt given the legit penalty against fulham. hes his own worst enemy!

im in favour of bringin in 3game suspensions for any1 caught divingI don't think so......

The Derby game was after the Fulham game ;)

Evra also dived against Lisbon... Cut the crap lads!..........and so he should behave too :p

[Anderson's God]

I think it is the only down side to his game, and I have seen him do it on occasions - 1 on 1 with a keeper - where someone like Rooney wouldn't have gone down, simply put the ball in the net.

At the end of the day it is up to him to sort it out or Fergie. But alot of other players do it. Unfortunate, it has simply become part of the game. You can see where he picked it up from, just watch Sporting against United. Every player had at least one dive!

[RichardsReds]

him diving against derby is the reason he wasnt given the legit penalty against fulham. hes his own worst enemy!

Im in favour of bringin in 3game suspensions for any1 caught diving

3 games? But its pretty hard to judge a dive sometimes. 3 games is unrealistic. Should be some new rule brought in. If yellow carded for the offence 3 times then you miss a match. Something like that?


Yeah Carly he should behave. Any thoughts?

[Anderson's God]

3 games? But its pretty hard to judge a dive sometimes. 3 games is unrealistic. Should be some new rule brought in. If yellow carded for the offence 3 times then you miss a match. Something like that?


Yeah Carly he should behave. Any thoughts?

Then so should every other diver in football out there behave, but they don't - its part of us being imperfect. That habit in football is fast growing!

The only way to stamp those sort of incidents out is by video technology, being able to allow refs to replay the incident and see if it is a penalty or not!
If player x did dive or not!

[CROoney]

To be fair to Ronnie, that is the only way he can get a penalty. Every other time the ref thinks he dived...... Thats possibly why he keeps diving.
that's the most stupid explanation i have ever heard...no offence to you personally...that's why he came to United diving all around the pitch right ?

3 games? But its pretty hard to judge a dive sometimes. 3 games is unrealistic. Should be some new rule brought in. If yellow carded for the offence 3 times then you miss a match. Something like that?


Yeah Carly he should behave. Any thoughts?
spot on

[Pricey]

I do think though that he was right to take the penalty and not Tevez. I think Fergie and Rio summed it up when saying that they need to be professional 100%of the time on the pitch and if Ronaldo is the penalty taker then he should always take them.

[dovorian]

that's the most stupid explanation i have ever heard...no offence to you personally...that's why he came to United diving all around the pitch right ?


Do you think it is at all possible, he actually slipped because of the wet pitch....

No offence but this is definitely worse than mine.

And no offence taken. :)

[akash_reds]

i think a 3 match ban for diving is fair..........but we may lose ronaldo more often nw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CROoney]

how come no one mentioned ronaldo's dive against the scousers at the edge of the box on the left hand side....and i also noticed how ref didn't give him almost a single 50 - 50 situation...that's what you get when diving all around... it took him some time to lose "cheater" tag and now in a single match he ruined everything

[reddwarf]

how come no one mentioned ronaldo's dive against the scousers at the edge of the box on the left hand side....and i also noticed how ref didn't give him almost a single 50 - 50 situation...that's what you get when diving all around... it took him some time to lose "cheater" tag and now in a single match he ruined everything

He didn't get booked for it so it's not as much of a talking point.

Fergie went bonkers on the touchline when Ronaldo was brought down in full flow later on in the game but, as you said, he has that reputation back now so that's why the ref didn't give a free kick.

[CROoney]

He didn't get booked for it so it's not as much of a talking point.

Fergie went bonkers on the touchline when Ronaldo was brought down in full flow later on in the game but, as you said, he has that reputation back now so that's why the ref didn't give a free kick.
anderson wasn't booked for his imaginary card waveing but the whole net was full of crap about him being cheater or so...:p

[-zuco-]

how come no one mentioned ronaldo's dive against the scousers at the edge of the box on the left hand side....and i also noticed how ref didn't give him almost a single 50 - 50 situation...that's what you get when diving all around... it took him some time to lose "cheater" tag and now in a single match he ruined everything


Only last week you were saying he has never stopped diving so how did he lose the tag? Make your mind up...

[reddwarf]

anderson wasn't booked for his imaginary card waveing but the whole net was full of crap about him being cheater or so...:p

True, but Ronaldo got booked for diving last week so it was a big talking point. This week he did it again but didn't get booked so comparatively speaking it's not as big a deal and there was plenty of other incidents in the game for people to discuss.

[CROoney]

Only last week you were saying he has never stopped diving so how did he lose the tag? Make your mind up...
he lost that tag for our fans but non united fans have never stopped calling him diver...

[-zuco-]

he lost that tag for our fans but non united fans have never stopped calling him diver...

Throughout last season he was praised from all corners of football (not just United fans) for the way he had matured and cut diving out of his game.

[CROoney]

Throughout last season he was praised from all corners of football (not just United fans) for the way he had matured and cut diving out of his game.
up until spurs and boro matches... where he was again branded as a diver... although i must say that i don't find that tackle by woodgate on him as a dive... he has never cut out his diving he just kept it quiet for a few months... although i don't have that much issue with diving really...

[-zuco-]

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree :)

[Wazza1989]

he's a great player. One of the best. He's got a lot of qualities...but like every man he has he's weaknesses.Everyone has them, but he improves every day. He'll be one day the best in the world, but i';m honestly afraid that he won't resist the spanish temptation oone day. I hope he'll end his career here at Man Utd and a become a true legend of the club.

[slap u lar]

the lad has everything in his football armoury to be the best player in the game in my opinion.

[andycole9]

ronaldo is a legend in the making and is going to be world footballer of the year soon

will he become a united legend? i think that all depends on how and when he leaves united

[CROoney]

Real Madrid are reportedly interested in the Portuguese star, but Gill insisted: "There is no interest or appetite in selling Cristiano for whatever amount of money offered.

"It has never been discussed. Everything about him is Manchester United, he's like George Best and Eric Cantona.

"You can't sell players like that.

"We've never sold a player that Sir Alex Ferguson has wanted to keep. We don't need to. There's no financial requirement."
Who would have thougth at the beginning of the previous season that a statement like this would come compairing him with the likes of those 2 ahead of Becks

[reddwarf]

That's a bold statement at this stage of Ronaldo's career.

At the United awards dinner last year I remember Fergie saying Ronaldo was the best player in the World as he stood next to him.

They obviously don't mind boosting the lads confidence but lets hope he doesn't get too bigheaded.

The influence both Best and Cantona had on the clubs fortunes was immeasurable. Ronaldo unquestionably has the potential to stand shoulder to shoulder with former United legends but let's wait and see how long he stays at the club and how his career progresses.

[red_devils4life]

Great player but, not up there with George Best & 'Eric the King' just yet......as I've said before,& I don't mind saying it again and again. No matter how good a player is,he will nvr be considered a 'Great' if he hasn't won any lucrative silverwares for either @ club or international stage. :)

[CROoney]

Great player but, not up there with George Best & 'Eric the King' just yet......as I've said before,& I don't mind saying it again and again. No matter how good a player is,he will nvr be considered a 'Great' if he hasn't won any lucrative silverwares for either @ club or international stage. :)
well he's got ! EPL medal, one Carling Cup, one sliver medal form the FA Cup and a silver medal form EC....quite an achivement for a young lad...oh and I suppose you consider Alan Shearer only as a "good player"

That's a bold statement at this stage of Ronaldo's career.

At the United awards dinner last year I remember Fergie saying Ronaldo was the best player in the World as he stood next to him.

They obviously don't mind boosting the lads confidence but lets hope he doesn't get too bigheaded.

The influence both Best and Cantona had on the clubs fortunes was immeasurable. Ronaldo unquestionably has the potential to stand shoulder to shoulder with former United legends but let's wait and see how long he stays at the club and how his career progresses.
nah - he can't get any more big headed than he is at the moment:p

[red_devils4life]

Well he's got ! EPL medal, one Carling Cup, one sliver medal form the FA Cup and a silver medal form EC....quite an achivement for a young lad...oh and I suppose you consider Alan Shearer only as a "good player".

The Silver medal which he received from the Euro 2004 isn't really considered his medal as he didn't even feature in most of the games FFS! Also,if u really want to compare his achievements with George Best & Eric Cantona,it's still a far cry.
Eric Cantona achieved 3 Premiership's winners medal , inc. the 2 'Domestic Doubles'( The Premiership & FA Cup), Carling Cup winners' medal & 2 FA Community Shields. So,that's equivalent to 8 trophy hauls in 5 seasons with United! :eek:
Well, as for George..........he's still the Best!

[CROoney]

The Silver medal which he received from the Euro 2004 isn't really considered his medal as he didn't even feature in most of the games FFS! Also,if u really want to compare his achievements with George Best & Eric Cantona,it's still a far cry.
Eric Cantona achieved 3 Premiership's winners medal , inc. the 2 'Domestic Doubles'( The Premiership & FA Cup), Carling Cup winners' medal & 2 FA Community Shields. So,that's equivalent to 8 trophy hauls in 5 seasons with United! :eek:
Well, as for George..........he's still the Best!
What ?! I'm shocked that you don't know that he scored 2 or 3 goals then and his goal knocked out Netherlands I think.FFS ! He scored against Greece too...:eek: :eek: Sure - he was a sub but to say that he didn't feature is equal to saying that , urmmm, I don't know that Saha or Park or even Carrick aren't parts of our team just because they're subs
As for his medals - he will have more than Eric - I can tell you that

[Toybos]

tbh i think his decision making is now up there with the best as well and i would say hes not far off being the perfect player already. For me, he is the best player in the world without a doubt.

[mulletsneverdie]

you should make a critical list of what rooney can improve, if you ask me, his finishing, if it were critical and precise like ruud then he would literally be unstoppable

[scott 4 evra]

The answer is no. he's class in the air, excellent dribbler, his free kicks ar class now. he tracks bac a lot, excellent workrate, he probably scores too many, he is lightning quick and has fantastic skill. His hair has been outstanding the last couple of weeks also. Can't think of one weakness in his game.

Please stay as long as giggsy.

[nabcake]

wow, i just relize that his freekicks improved a lot these games. first the one against sporting, and then in some premiership games now in the newcastle game.
bet he had been praticing them a lot duirng training :)

[Congoman]

Ronaldo is a star

[akash_reds]

he will only get better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CROoney]

well, Ronaldo imo has already become equal to Eric. i know Eric was a cult figure at OT and he had a carisma the boy will never have but for their footballing knowledge he's up there... He is already considered amoung the top 3 footballers in the world and his performences have been second to none ( consistency wise) ....

[yangch0000]

Do wat he is doing for Man Utd for yrs to come, he will change from his status now as one of the best footballers to a legendary footballing figure

[CROoney]

I say 32 ! 10 more for him ! Although the form he's currently in suggests that he might outscore that ( if he stays fit *fingers crossed* )
So mods what do you say we make it as a bet ;)

[SolskjaertheLegend]

i hope u havnt gone and jinxed him :D

il happily make the bet, but i dunno about the odds.


Im going for 30ish goals.

[Damian]

in all competitions im going for...

34 goals

i think he will finish league with 25 goals

[CROoney]

i hope u havnt gone and jinxed him :D

il happily make the bet, but i dunno about the odds.


Im going for 30ish goals.

god, me too ! i couldn't stand it