The good and the bad of Cristiano Ronaldo

There is rarely a dull moment watching Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo. His performance yesterday in United’s scrappy 2-1 win over Blackburn contained everything that explains why he is loved, admired, hated and ridiculed in equal measures.

Ability

There is no doubting the man’s ability. Even his most feverish detractors have to grudgingly accept that he is a very skilful and talented player. Since he moved to United from Sporting in 2003, the twenty-four year old Portuguese wide man has lit up the Premier League with some exceptional football and some great goals. He has won just about every team and individual award it is possible to win and is rightly regarded as the best, or one of the best, player in the world.

So, if all that is true, why do so many people despise him?

The answer to that question was very evident yesterday. When he received a hard tackle from David Dunn, Ronaldo kicked out petulantly at the Blackburn man after the ball had gone, connecting with the back of his leg. It wasn’t a vicious, nasty, leg breaking kick. It was a petulant, spiteful and niggly little kick. Think David Beckham in world cup 1998 against Argentina and you have an idea of what it was like.

Ban

It happened under the nose of referee Howard Webb but he may have been following the ball and not seen Ronaldo’s reaction. If he did see it, that will be the end of the matter. If he didn’t, I guess the FA will ask him what he would have done if he had seen it. If the answer is that he would have sent him off, then the FA could impose a three match ban.

I would have thought that it would have been more likely to have earned him a yellow card, but it could have been red. This is the third time this season that Ronaldo has done something like this and maybe it is time for someone to take a stand against it and point out to Cristiano that the other team are actually allowed to tackle him!

Early shower

If he had received a yellow card, a few minutes later he would have been on his way for an early shower. Bursting through the Blackburn defence in the great style he can show, an attempted tackle on him was made. It didn’t get near the ball and it certainly didn’t get near Ronaldo. Despite that, the theatrical dive which followed would have been comical if it wasn’t so unpleasant. He was rightly yellow carded by Howard Webb.

I have often defended Cristiano Ronaldo in the diving arguments because I believe he is often caught and travelling at the speed he does, he goes to ground in a manner that makes it look like a dive when he has actually been tripped. He is often not awarded free-kicks and penalties when he has genuinely been fouled. However, it is difficult to keep that argument going when incidents like the one yesterday are seen.

Unpleasant

It was a terrible dive. Cheating, manipulative and unpleasant. Looking to get a free-kick or penalty and possibly get a player sent off. There is no place for that in the game.

So, nearly an hour into the game and we have seen all the reasons that Ronaldo is so often the target for abuse from opposition fans. A nasty petulant kick out at an opponent and a callous, cynical, cheating dive. There was little to admire.

Then, on the hour mark, with the score at 1-1, United are awarded a free-kick on the left hand corner of the penalty area. Ronaldo goes through his usual routine of placing the ball very deliberately and pacing back like a Rugby Union player kicking for goal. He stepped up to the ball and lashed an unstoppable curling drive into the far top corner to give United a crucial three points in a game that they didn’t really deserve to win.

Fabulous

It was a truly fabulous strike. It was worthy of the man hailed as the best player in the world. It showed why he is loved by United fans and his team-mates and admired by many throughout the world.

So there we have it. In the spell of a few second half minutes in one game, we saw the whole range of Cristiano Ronaldo. We saw the good and the bad. It is never boring, that’s for sure.