had told Ferguson that Cantona was well worth buying and convinced their manager that the Frenchman could be the missing piece in the United jigsaw. The rest, as they say, is history. Cantona went on to inspire the club to a string of Premiership and FA Cup triumphs. If Ronaldo could have the same impact that Cantona had, United would be ecstatic. Maybe he too would be the key component and he would lead the team’s bid to retain the title.
A successful bid of £12.24 million saw Ronaldo moving onto the next chapter of his whirlwind story. Sir Alex Ferguson liked what he saw and knew that he had to pull out all the stops to sign him. The fee was big for someone so young and apparently Thompson and Houllier at Liverpool could not believe that United had paid such a high price for another ‘potential star’. But deep down, even at this stage, they must have feared the worst and wondered whether they had made a mistake by overlooking the young winger. Thompson was unhappy that he had not been informed by Henry about the developments of the deal, as he had first offered the player to Liverpool.
Ferguson certainly made a strong impression on Ronaldo’s family with his generosity and his promise to nurture the youngster’s talent effectively – Dolores calls the United boss ‘our friend’ and the player’s family felt happy with Ferguson’s plans. Dinis, meanwhile, also praised the role that the United manager has played in Cristiano’s life, ‘Ferguson is an exceptional person. My son has a second father in Manchester who looks after him.’ Without doubt, the good treatment that Ronaldo received at Old Trafford helped him to settle at the club and overcome any uneasiness. He did not suffer in the way that he had in Lisbon.
With Ferguson having sold wideman David Beckham to Real Madrid, Ronaldo had been selected as the man to take over on the right wing. Beckham’s were big boots to fill, but Ronaldo would offer something very different. Rather than a succession of crosses, the United strikers could expect Ronaldo to head for the bye-line, beating his man before delivering a cross. He was a player more in the mould of a young Ryan Giggs than that of Beckham. Cristiano vowed to stamp his own identity on the United team and leave a legacy at the club.
With his transfer complete, the praise came flooding in. Eusebio, Portugal’s finest ever player, announced, ‘At that age, Ronaldo is not just a footballer, he is waiting to be an icon. He would enhance any team, any league anywhere. I really believe he is that good.’ Luis Figo, at the time playing for Real Madrid, predicted a bright future for Cristiano in Manchester, ‘He is good enough to embarrass English defenders and I think he will have too much skill for a lot of them. He can do whatever he wants as a footballer. There are some things he does with the ball that make me touch my head and wonder how he did it.’ It was certainly a boost for Cristiano to hear such tributes.
Still only 18, it was the move of his dreams. Every aspiring young player hopes to make the step up to a big club and Ronaldo had done it. Now he had to justify the price tag. While he was known to scouts of Europe’s biggest clubs, Cristiano was not a household name in England and few would have selected him as a candidate to top United’s summer transfer list. But at the same time, few doubted Ferguson’s ability to unearth top young players. Everyone at United waited with baited breath to see Ronaldo in action, but Ferguson insisted that he would introduce Cristiano to English football carefully and gradually. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had played so well on the right flank towards the end of the previous campaign that Ronaldo could be eased gently into the fast-paced Premiership action.
He looked shy and slight when he arrived at Old Trafford – as if he was innocent and naïve. In fact, Ronaldo had already endured some very testing times and he knew all about the dangers in life. His experiences with the problems faced by his father and his brother ensured that he was well aware of the excesses to avoid. His mother told the Daily Mirror, ‘Cristiano has seen what drink and drugs can do to people close to him and it’s part of the reason why he’s become who he is today. His only addiction is football.’
Football has always been Ronaldo’s chief focus and it has enabled him to avoid the pitfalls that so many young players have fallen into. When sudden wealth arrives, it is very easy to get carried away and caught up in the fame, yet he is not a man spotted out in the early hours of the night. He had not been swayed by the nightlife on offer in Lisbon, where he seemed to prefer a quiet life away from the spotlight, and it was unlikely that he would change now. It was simply not in his character to embrace the celebrity lifestyle.
There was some concern that girls would target Cristiano in a bid to get their hands on his money. But Alberto Joao Jardim, president of Madeira, among others, had warned Ronaldo of the perils of fame and fortune. Jardim pointed out that girls would show more interest than ever in Ronaldo and that he would need to be sensible and avoid difficult situations. The president remains very proud of Cristiano and keeps a close eye on his progress.
Cristiano has never forgotten how hard his parents worked to give him a happy upbringing, and now that he has the wealth that comes with life as a footballer he has tried to show his appreciation. Nowhere is the transformation more obvious than in the case of his mother, Dolores. Having struggled to make ends meet in her cleaning job, she could not have been described as flashy with her clothes or jewellery. Now, though, she is usually seen wearing designer labels. After the difficult years that she battled through so bravely, she deserves every bit of her new luxurious lifestyle and she looks set to enjoy it to the full.
Ronaldo still returns to Santo Antonio to see the same friends that he grew up with. Clearly, the town holds many happy memories and his friends obviously see him as the same boy they knew as youngsters. He has kept his feet on the ground and is able to renew these acquaintances with ease. Sometimes, he can be found playing pool with his best childhood friends and, when possible, he likes to return to the climate, the greenery and thriving port of his home island.
Even now that he has the celebrity status to move in any number of distinguished circles, he still prefers to spend his spare time with family and friends, eating together and playing ping pong. His fame has not changed his personality, even though his popularity has never been greater than it is now. For all the flashy confidence that he shows on the pitch, he does his best to live a quiet, ‘normal’ life off the field.
2003/04: A NEW BEGINNING IN MANCHESTER
ARRIVING IN A NEW country as a youngster is naturally a very daunting prospect. When you consider that Ronaldo moved to Manchester with limited knowledge of the English language and left the warm Lisbon climate behind, it was a big lifestyle change. Looking back, he acknowledges that his world was turned upside down, ‘It was a big change in my life; the climate, the food and of course the football level. The game is a lot faster here, much more physical.’ The difficulties that Cristiano experienced adjusting to life in Manchester should not be underestimated.
Additionally, he faced the intense pressure of not only replacing the departed David Beckham, but also continuing the long line of Manchester United number 7s. George Best, Steve Coppell, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and Beckham, amongst others, had given United supporters some of their best memories and the expectation was that Ronaldo would achieve similar feats. Despite initially requesting the number 28 shirt, the club had other ideas. Cristiano told the media that the prospect of emulating the club’s great number 7s was very exciting, ‘I would be very proud if one day I was held in the same esteem as Best or Beckham. It is what I am working towards. The number 7 shirt is an honour and a responsibility. I hope it brings me a lot of luck.’
When Ronaldo moved to Manchester, he arrived with his girlfriend Jordana Jardel (the younger sister of former Brazilian international Mario Jardel). Immediately, comparisons were made with David and Victoria Beckham, who had recently swapped Manchester for sunny Madrid. Jordana, however, wasted no time in dismissing these comparisons with some rather spiteful comments, telling the press, ‘I wouldn’t want to look like her. She is pretty but she is a bit anorexic looking and that is not so attractive, at least not to Portuguese or Brazilian men. I like music but no, I don’t have anything by the Spice Girls in my collection. I don’t think you should sing if you have no talent for singing.’
Jordana also made the bold claim that Cristiano was a better footballer