Ronaldo Proves Again He Is World Class

chiller

as i have said b4, ronaldo would come good and i think all the doubters have been prove wrong! saying united should sell him! he is an outstanding talent and four goals in 2 games shows, when he is on form he is one of the best players in the premiership, and at the world cup in june he will shine! he has nine goals this season already two behind rooney! if he scores another 4 or 5 goals that would bring his goals tally to 13,14 which imo is a good contribution from a winger in any team! well done ronaldo, i knew it was only a matter of time!

Hobart

Lets see how he does over a sustained period before we christen him the new Pele, shall we? I have been critical of his performances in the past, the game against Benfica springs to mind as typical of his lack of commitment, but I would also be critical of Fergie for allowing him to behave like a primadonna.

Big Nelly

Ronaldo is class, have been saying this since I first seen him play in Portugal, been listening to my mates for the past 2 season crying about how terrible he is and jumping on the usual bangwagon about him falling over but I just kept saying he was class and nothing else. Again, like last season, he is showing that he is a great player and in a few years will be one of the best in the world. Remember people he is still a young un

MrJoeSoap

The last couple of performances only manage to balance out the awful games he had over Christmas. If he manages to find some consistency I'll change my opinion, but for now he's still an over-flashy and rarely-any-end-product winger. His crossing borders on the diabolical at times.

chiller

Hobart wrote:

Lets see how he does over a sustained period before we christen him the new Pele, shall we? I have been critical of his performances in the past, the game against Benfica springs to mind as typical of his lack of commitment, but I would also be critical of Fergie for allowing him to behave like a primadonna.

by the time the world cup is over no one will admitt they critised him in the first place! typical united fans when forlan was there the amount of abuse he took from so called fans he scored six in seven games everyone loved him and no one slagged again! he was sold to villareal and was top scorer in la liga with twenty five goals not bad a bad player! and on fergie letting act like a primadonna his da just died and he was accused of rape he was going through a hard time!

Green_Martian

i do believe we had this discusssion before, last week me thinks...........:rolleyes:

and i will still stand by my comments last week, when he starts to perform like this week in week out, then maybe i will believe he might be the new Péle.

Sure in half the games he has played in i have lost count the number of times he has not tracked back to help the defence cos he just couldn't be bothered and does not look interested.

I will give him some credit for his perfomance over the last week, but he was bought so he would do that every week, (not score every week, but to put a decent ball in th box for the strikers).

p.pete

Class is permanent.

chiller

if he scores in every match though and we win id rather him scoreing than him crossing the ball in for rvd and rooney id rather a goal than a good cross any day from ronaldo and if he keeps hitting the ball like he did against portsmouth he will get plenty of goals

cournioni

Anyone notice that we did not see one step over from Ronaldo against Portsmouth on Saturday?

scuba steve

ya i noticed that i dont remember seeing him do one. Hes getting better at free kicks 2!

astrofool

I doubt it was lack of commitment against Benfica, considering where he came from, he just played awful, and was annoyed at himself.

BKtje

He played pretty well but i think he was lucky with the goal. Don't get me wrong, it was a great shot but centre of the goal and went through the keeper.

That said if he keeps up those performances he will silence his critics.

county

he seems to have a better second half of the season,its a shame he`s quite average in the first half,but to be fair to him he did have a lot on his plate last year

TheMonster

B-K-DzR wrote:

He played pretty well but i think he was lucky with the goal. Don't get me wrong, it was a great shot but centre of the goal and went through the keeper.

That said if he keeps up those performances he will silence his critics.

That was due to the power of it. Kiley looked bemused afterwards.

Necronomicon

I've pitched my two cents to this debate countless times before, but since there's yet another Ronaldo thread I'll do so again......
I think the potential is there for everybody to see...when you play for a team like United, people can forget your age because the pressure to perform is so great. When he came first he was all flash and no end product. I think he came on leaps and bounds last season, getting well into double figures for goals and improving his all-round play. This season he has frustrated and delighted. But it would be impossible for anyone in his position to maintain consistency this season after his off the pitch problems. First his father died, and then he was falsely accused of rape by some story-selling hussie. That, with all the media critiscism of his form forced him in and out of the team like a yo-yo. How can you be consistent in those circumstances? I'm not saying he's the next Pèle because he's had to really good performances, but it is a reminder to his begrudgers that he can be great, and here's hoping he will be.

cournioni

Not many keepers would have saved that to be honest. Unless it was a keeper that is 6'5+.

Mossin

Saying that Ronaldo is on top form because he has scored 4 goals in his last 2 games, i dunno about that.

I was at the game against Fulham on the 4th February, in the opening exchanges Ronaldo was quite exceptional, and had a good link up with Evra at left back. He scored an amazing free-kick [albeit after sending his previous effort into the upper East stand].

But after about 30 minutes of the game when Fulham pressed United, Ronaldo began his messing!! He lost the ball on countless occasions and his general play was brutal. Lets be honest here, he should have been backing Evra up better when Fulham scored their first goal. Giggs wouldn't have allowed that to happen if he had been on the left.

Into the second half, and Ronaldo began his jinking, and twisting, and step-overs, but to what avail?? he had no end product. On 1 occasion he decided to do the right thing, took on his man, got to the end-line and crossed for Ruud, who narrowly headed over. That is what he is good at and should have continued to do.

Granted that he sealed the win with the 4th goal, a well taken goal as well, dont get me wrong there. But he won the match with 2 goals, but he can be so frustrating to watch, dont mind all his troubles, when he gets on the pitch he should perform, thats what he is being paid to do.

He can become one of the best players of his generation, if he cuts out all his messing and concentrates on his football what we all know he is tremendous at.

Gegerty

You have to give him credit for 4 goals in 2 games but there's always a but. It's one thing playing well against Portsmouth and another playing well against the best in the world, or even a half decent team. As a united fan i'd love nothing more than to eat my words believe me! Unfortunately I haven't seen the last 2 games but I'd hazzard a guess that he's still not passing the ball and still wasting chances. This is why he'll never be world class as you call him. He might be catching up with Rooneys goal tally but he's not half the player Rooney is. It's not all about goals. Well done to him though I hope he does cop on.

yop

I have said it before that after the sending off he really had to take a step back and look at himself, yes he has had a lot of turmoil outside of football but his perfomances have been terrible up to the last few games, time will tell, yes he has the talent and bags of it but if he has not the mentality and drive he will not succeed

chiller

Gegerty wrote:

You have to give him credit for 4 goals in 2 games but there's always a but. It's one thing playing well against Portsmouth and another playing well against the best in the world, or even a half decent team. As a united fan i'd love nothing more than to eat my words believe me! Unfortunately I haven't seen the last 2 games but I'd hazzard a guess that he's still not passing the ball and still wasting chances. This is why he'll never be world class as you call him. He might be catching up with Rooneys goal tally but he's not half the player Rooney is. It's not all about goals. Well done to him though I hope he does cop on.

well it is goals win matches without goals football woudnt be half the sport it is and witout ronaldo's 4 goals in the last two games we would have drawn with fulham and portsmouth! so gegerty it is about goals. because whoever scores the most goals in a season normally wins the premiership!

Jimi-Spandex

I think he's getting more direct in his play. Which was his main problem, hopefully he can keep this up. If he manages that and to improve is crossing, he'll be great.

Remember, he's only just turned 21. He's got plenty of time.

wheres me jumpa

I am a major doubter of this guy. I really hope he lives up to his potential but I believe he is way too selfish and cares little about a concept called teamwork. 4 goals in 2 games does not change my opion of him.

In fact his free kick and his goal against Portsmouth have confirmed a lot about him. The way he strikes a ball for free kicks, corners and crosses has very little control and he really needs to work on it.

Watch David Beckham hit 10 free kicks you can see each time what he is trying to do. He makes a deliberate attempt to not only place but power the ball into a corner.

Ronaldo on the other hand opts for power over everything else. Watch him take ten free kicks, one will land in the Atlantic, one will land in The Irish Sea, the others will end up in the stand with the exception of one that will hit the target but where in the target is still a mystery.

His goal against Portsmouth was a good goal but I really would love to know where he was trying to put it. Very few players aim dead centre of the goal. His free kick against Fulham to me was a total fluke.

He had a period last season where he came good. And similar now this season. If he can keep it going for not only the rest of this season but all of next season I will change my opinion of him.

Gegerty

chiller wrote:

well it is goals win matches without goals football woudnt be half the sport it is and witout ronaldo's 4 goals in the last two games we would have drawn with fulham and portsmouth! so gegerty it is about goals. because whoever scores the most goals in a season normally wins the premiership!

Well yeah if he's putting the ball in the net every time then nobody can say ye nob you should have passed! It still remains to be seen. Remember at the end of the day he's a winger, he should be passing the ball and putting decent crosses in to Ruud and Rooney, thats where he's lacking imo. If he can get that mastered and score goals as well then he'll be world class. It takes consistency to earn that title though! What position was he in for Fulham and Portsmouth?

evad_lhorg

all i have to say about him is im glad he finally hit the target with a free kick!

blastman

One (or even two) swallow doesn't make a summer (sic). He's spent too long dancing around the ball then passing straight to the opposition to silence the critics with a couple of decent performances. He has ability, it's the application of it that has been the problem in the past and will probably continue to be for some time yet. Still, perhaps a small glimmer of hope has emerged.

Necronomicon

wheres me jumpa wrote:

His free kick against Fulham to me was a total fluke.

Ah come on, whatever you think about him you have to give him credit for that, what was so flukey? It was perfectly executed, Niemi was left rooted to the goal. And don't say, "well these new-fangled balls move all over the place" because as well as 'keepers having to deal with them, outfield players have to control them as well. Ronaldo buried that free kick.

Lemlin

Didn't see the game on Saturday evening but I heard he faded in the second half after his two goals. As pointed out above Colm, I don't think 4 goals in 2 games makes him the Messiah you seem to be proclaiming him.

wheres me jumpa

Necromomicon wrote:

Ah come on, whatever you think about him you have to give him credit for that, what was so flukey? It was perfectly executed, Niemi was left rooted to the goal. And don't say, "well these new-fangled balls move all over the place" because as well as 'keepers having to deal with them, outfield players have to control them as well. Ronaldo buried that free kick.

Ill give him credit for kicking the ball as hard as he could. With the exception of a deflected free kick and a free kick that was in fact a cross, I believe that is the first free kick he has scored.

Dont get me wrong, Im a Utd fan and really hope this guy fulfills his potential. My point here is that after a few goals against poor opposition we cant just jump to the conclusion that he has matured and is suddenly one of the best players in the world. To back up my point I included my doubts about his ability to accurately strike a ball.

PiE

Haha, talk about getting carried away!

Two good games does not equal out the (~)ten woeful ones. Nor should it, as a class player should rarely have a game that's anywhere near "woeful".

Nunu

wheres me jumpa wrote:

Ill give him credit for kicking the ball as hard as he could. With the exception of a deflected free kick and a free kick that was in fact a cross, I believe that is the first free kick he has scored.

Dont get me wrong, Im a Utd fan and really hope this guy fulfills his potential. My point here is that after a few goals against poor opposition we cant just jump to the conclusion that he has matured and is suddenly one of the best players in the world. To back up my point I included my doubts about his ability to accurately strike a ball.

Ronaldo is hitting his free kicks exactly like Juninho of Lyon. It's a very original and diffficult way of taking a free but if you're going to follow someones lead why not the best in the world in Juninho who has almost perfected it at this stage.. He has obviously been studying Juninhos technique of striking the ball dead centre with the laces of his boots and tried it out in training. The fact that he is taking free kicks means he must be getting results on the training pitch from practicing them. It's not just a case of hitting the ball as hard as he can.

TheMonster

Nunu wrote:

Ronaldo is hitting his free kicks exactly like Juninho of Lyon. It's a very original and diffficult way of taking a free but if you're going to follow someones lead why not the best in the world in Juninho who has almost perfected it at this stage.. He has obviously been studying Juninhos technique of striking the ball dead centre with the laces of his boots and tried it out in training. The fact that he is taking free kicks means he must be getting results on the training pitch from practicing them. It's not just a case of hitting the ball as hard as he can.

Totally agree - he has a totally different technique to most players. If you watch closely he usually places the ball a little higher(on a little mound and then runs straight at it wheras most players curve the run up. I think you will see this type of free kick from him again, he has been obviously been trying it and succesful at it in training as Rooney often allows him take it without protest

wheres me jumpa

TheMonster wrote:

I think you will see this type of free kick from him again, he has been obviously been trying it and succesful at it in training as Rooney often allows him take it without protest

We have seen it since he arrived. He has not altered the way he takes free kicks since the first one he hit. Im not going to argue over this, imo he is a poor free kick taker and because he finally gets one in the net I beleive we should not be classing him as at last the great player we all thought he would be.

He has alot more to do before he can be considered a world great.

mayordenis

He's no pele,
He faf's about too much he's had 2 great games but he's not amazing.
If he does perform every week for 3 or 4 seasons in a row then he can be called world class until then he's a little tricky diver.

CountryWise

I think its a case of watch this space,he is a complete confidence player