Cristiano Ronaldo’s overly warm reception
Cristiano Ronaldo has been lacking two things this summer. One was the ability to walk without crutches and the other was a decent PR adviser to prevent him putting his Nike Mercurials in his gob every couple of days. And yet neither seems to have had a long-term effect.
He showed enough glimpses last night to suggest that he has put his injury behind him and is now just short of match practice. And he was welcomed back into the fold by some very friendly Manchester United fans. The former did not surprise me too much, but the latter did.
I had joked yesterday, so bad had Ronaldo’s PR been, about potential pitfalls for his comeback game but I now think he could have got away with most of them. The majority of Manchester United fans I spoke to on a one-to-one basis told me the same things about how no player was bigger than the club, how they should cash-in on their star asset while he was at his most valuable, and how they did not want players were not proud to play for United. And yet collectively this attitude seems to have been misplaced somewhere.
I did not expect him to be booed off the park, but I was shocked at just how emotional the crowd became as the Portuguese substitute made his way onto the pitch. No player bigger than the club? This was virtually a 75,000-person thank you that Ronaldo had deemed Old Trafford to be worthy of his presence. An explosion of heartfelt gratitude that the Great One had stooped to spending one more season at the club.
Maybe I was talking to the wrong United fans, or maybe they have all had a change of heart. Perhaps the defeat to Liverpool at the weekend had made them realise how much they would miss their talisman if his absence was permanent. It seems even at clubs with United’s tradition exceptions can be made.
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Features, Manchester United
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I was skeptical and kept quiet… but once I saw that he was truly back and invigorated united’s attack, I whispered to myself: “Thank God for that boy Ronaldo!”
With Rooney and the midfield not at their best… we need Ronaldo.
September 18th, 2008 @ 23:31the fact that you were not one of those in the stadium, or rather you were not in the stadium at all means you dun pay to support your team. talk is cheap, mate.
September 19th, 2008 @ 00:04i find Ronaldo unbelievable (not in a gd way)!! in my opinion i think he created that transfer saga himself, he never wanted to leave utd, he just wanted everyone to beg for him to stay, that’s how self- obsessed he is. Mr Parker mentioned him being bigger than the club, the only person who thinks he’s bigger than the club is himself!!!
September 19th, 2008 @ 00:32ill admit,even i got slightly excited when he came on.i wont deny that he is a good(not great) player and maybe he is desperately needed but i cant forgive him for wanting to go.i never liked him in the first place but he did himself no favours over the summer.very surprised by the reaction he got
September 19th, 2008 @ 01:20I think it kind of like proven Ronaldo is indispensible to the team at this moment. Red Devil SUX without him.
September 19th, 2008 @ 02:11I have supported CR from the first day, and, although i’d have hated it if he left I’d have understood… Probably it’s because I’m from Argentina and here stars don’t last for too long, and not because of our teams (I’m also a Boca Juniors’ fan, and it’s recognised as one of the biggest clubs in the world, and the one with most internarional silverware), but because of the big money that they get in europe. So hearing that a player that was being offered even a lesser pay-check and still was tempted was something new, at least for me. I know that your tenth million is almost like nothing, but anyways. That’s why I completely bought CR’s speech after the whole thing ended, I don’t have any reason not to believe him, and unless I have a picture of CR amd the whole RM board sharing a bed while Blatter enjoys the view I’ll keep cheering for him.
September 19th, 2008 @ 02:49its a simple reason why they cheered, its cause manU without ronaldo feels like a shackled dog, lots of bark but little bite.
September 19th, 2008 @ 03:08I think the thing to take away from Ronaldo’s reception was that the United fan’s were big enough to say, ‘hey, let the past be the past’. People like you Rob and every other liverpool, chelsea and arsenal fan will say that Ronaldo is bigger than United and United are nothing without him. You all said the same thing when Cantona left, you said the same thing when Beckham left and you’ll always say the same thing because you all need this desire to peel away at United. At least the United fans that evening had the balls to put the past to rest and welcome Ronaldo back.
September 19th, 2008 @ 08:42Ronaldo must play!!! He is young and have a hole career in front of him. Miw he is at United and he have to give everything for them.
September 19th, 2008 @ 09:20DarkDevil,
Without getting too gangsta, I don’t remember Cantona or Beckham dissing Man Yoo in the same way that Ronaldo has, unless you count the idea that Becks’ commercial activities were impacting his performance for United. Even still that is not as direct what Ronaldo did.
The level of instant redemption and, as I said in the article, how emotional it was surprised me. It was almost as if he had forgiven the fans
September 19th, 2008 @ 10:30First of all, to all people out there, they don’t understand a Manchester United fan, when Ronaldo is coming to the field.
Ronaldo is our talisman, our diamand.
I am a manchester united fan, and it is very hard to admit that my club is playing not good without ronaldo, and with not good i mean, they dont got a chance to win in Liverpool or away against a big club.
Manchester United is = Ronaldo, S.Alex Ferguson, Ferdinand, Rooney, Evra, V.der Sar.
September 19th, 2008 @ 13:22When one of them is missing, then you can see clearly ManUTD is not ManUTD.
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Ronaldo is back, hes in a great form just he’s speed was not the same, but it will be.
From latest after the game agaisnt chelsea, you all people will se the Manchester United who doesnt know the word lose.
Faton you haven’t been watching the same Wayne Rooney I have this season. Of course strikers usually blossom into goal scoring form in the second half of the season when they are full of sharpness but I can safely say Utd would be having a much better season if Rooney was injured from the start.
September 20th, 2008 @ 11:15I’m a diehard Red and I’m so annoyed that Ronaldo was not booed. Usually, I do not believe in booing your own player, but for at least one game Ronaldo needs a harsh reception: to show him how much he disrepected us and the club during the summer!
September 20th, 2008 @ 19:40Time heals all wounds. Had he been fit to play in the first game of the season you can bet your house he would never have gotten this response.
September 21st, 2008 @ 10:21