Sometimes, timing is everything in sport – from being in the right place at the right time to falling victim to a golden era. The examples are all around. Plenty have profited, from Kenny Dalglish moving into the Liverpool job at the perfect time with nothing to lose and everything to gain to Vicente Del Bosque winning the 2010 World Cup after inheriting a Spanish team packed with stars.
On the flipside, how many good players were overlooked during Manchester United's dominance in the 1990s? How many great basketball players suffered the curse of playing in the Michael Jordan era? And what about all the talented golfers that suffered the bad luck of running into Tiger Woods at the peak of his powers?
Cristiano Ronaldo has experienced both scenarios. Rewind to 2006, Ronaldo was fresh off a World Cup in which he played a central role in Wayne Rooney's dismissal in the England-Portugal quarter-final. With Brazil, Argentina and Spain all crashing out earlier than anticipated, he used the tournament as a career launch pad as Portugal narrowly missed out on a spot in the final.
Then, cast as the villain, the winger returned to Old Trafford, facing a make or break season. But, just like at the World Cup, events fell his way. Ruud van Nistelrooy had left during the summer, Rooney’s temperament was fragile and, over at Stamford Bridge, the relationship between manager Jose Mourinho and owner Roman Abramovich was gradually deteriorating.
Ronaldo seized the moment, scoring 23 goals during the 2006/07 season and propelling Manchester United to the Premier League title and the Champions League semi-final. A year later, he built on that momentum, grabbing a staggering 43 goals. There was no shortage of world class performers elsewhere in English football during Ronaldo’s unstoppable three-year breakout – but all paid the price for emerging at the same time as the Portuguese star.
However, since moving to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, after one of the most protracted transfer deals in recent memory, Ronaldo has been given a taste of his own medicine. One glance at the statistics confirms that his productivity has increased but his brilliance has been somewhat smothered by the magic being produced week in, week out in Barcelona. After two full seasons at the Bernabeu, Ronaldo has a sole Spanish Cup winners medal to show for his efforts.
On the flipside, how many good players were overlooked during Manchester United's dominance in the 1990s? How many great basketball players suffered the curse of playing in the Michael Jordan era? And what about all the talented golfers that suffered the bad luck of running into Tiger Woods at the peak of his powers?
Cristiano Ronaldo has experienced both scenarios. Rewind to 2006, Ronaldo was fresh off a World Cup in which he played a central role in Wayne Rooney's dismissal in the England-Portugal quarter-final. With Brazil, Argentina and Spain all crashing out earlier than anticipated, he used the tournament as a career launch pad as Portugal narrowly missed out on a spot in the final.
Then, cast as the villain, the winger returned to Old Trafford, facing a make or break season. But, just like at the World Cup, events fell his way. Ruud van Nistelrooy had left during the summer, Rooney’s temperament was fragile and, over at Stamford Bridge, the relationship between manager Jose Mourinho and owner Roman Abramovich was gradually deteriorating.
Ronaldo seized the moment, scoring 23 goals during the 2006/07 season and propelling Manchester United to the Premier League title and the Champions League semi-final. A year later, he built on that momentum, grabbing a staggering 43 goals. There was no shortage of world class performers elsewhere in English football during Ronaldo’s unstoppable three-year breakout – but all paid the price for emerging at the same time as the Portuguese star.
However, since moving to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, after one of the most protracted transfer deals in recent memory, Ronaldo has been given a taste of his own medicine. One glance at the statistics confirms that his productivity has increased but his brilliance has been somewhat smothered by the magic being produced week in, week out in Barcelona. After two full seasons at the Bernabeu, Ronaldo has a sole Spanish Cup winners medal to show for his efforts.
Let's go back to the Michael Jordan comparison. During Jordan's glory years, many great players caught the eye, earned big contracts and dominated playoff series. But, ultimately, Jordan's shadow has engulfed almost all of them. Likewise, Ronaldo is in danger of being blanketed by Barcelona's shadow.
Running into a player of Lionel Messi's calibre is incredibly bad luck for Ronaldo but reaching his peak at a time when not only Messi but also Xavi and Andres Iniesta are fighting for the tag of world's best player is almost mind-boggling.
Ronaldo has been unrelenting with his heroics since first putting on the famous Real Madrid shirt. In his first season, he netted 33 goals in 33 games, only to watch Barcelona take the plaudits as La Liga champions. Last year, Ronaldo again carried Real with countless sublime performances, upping his game to score 53 goals in all competition. Yet, despite the Portuguese landing a significant blow with the winner in the Spanish Cup Final, Barcelona hogged the spotlight again with a La Liga and Champions League double. Messi, meanwhile, matched Ronaldo with a 50-goal campaign of his own.
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