Hugo Viana, whom the Magpies had signed over the summer for £8.5 million. The two had played together for several years at Sporting Lisbon. Viana had only good things to say about Cristiano, ‘He is quick and strong and has great technique. I’ve known Ronaldo since I was 12 years old. He is my closest friend and we used to do everything together. We dreamed we would play for Sporting and for Portugal.’
Young Portuguese players were clearly in demand across Europe as, along with the transfers of Ronaldo and Viana, exciting winger Ricardo Quaresma completed a move from Sporting to Barcelona.
It was Cristiano who had the last laugh against Newcastle, as United produced a strong second half fightback to win 2-1, through two goals from Paul Scholes. Referee Jeff Winter ought to have shown a red card to Andy O’Brien for a blatant professional foul on Ryan Giggs, but the Reds still had enough quality to break down a stubborn Newcastle team. The players would have to get used to unlocking determined defences as opponents often opted for a 4-5-1 formation, particularly when facing United at Old Trafford. It put more pressure on Ronaldo to perform.
He started the home game against Wolves, but this time his trickery did not have the same effect as in his debut against Bolton. Cristiano tried too many fancy flicks and overcomplicated the team’s build-up, but it was all part of the learning process. It was a disappointing performance against the newly promoted side yet United got a 1-0 win. The other new arrivals, Kleberson and Djemba-Djemba, were having bigger problems with the transition to the English style of play and many were questioning whether they could really be the future for United. Defeat away to Southampton brought an end to the team’s 100 per cent record in the league but, more significantly, it was another inexcusably below-par United performance, even in the absence of Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand. Ronaldo quickly learned that the English media were ruthless when the top sides lost.
The United squad, though, was still brimming with both quality and experience. They responded to the defeat at St. Mary’s by taking 13 points from a possible 15 in their next five Premiership games. Firstly, United travelled to The Valley where Ronaldo instantly upset the home supporters with a couple of theatrical tumbles to earn his side free-kicks. But he was constantly involved and he rose above some of the harsh treatment he received from Charlton defenders to prove United’s main threat.
It was van Nistelrooy’s predatory instincts that settled the game, scoring twice to claim a 2-0 win in a match that had come to life in the final half hour. After the match, Cristiano was the topic of conversation. Chris Perry, the Charlton centre half, showed his frustration when he spoke to the media. He was very unhappy with Ronaldo’s inability to stay on his feet, ‘Once or twice when you go down, it’s legitimate. But he went down five or six times in the game and he certainly was not caught for every single one. It’s a foreign thing but if the press and fans keep on him, he will change,’ he fumed. Perry’s disgust was mirrored by his team-mates, and they all refused to shake hands with Ronaldo at the final whistle to make their point.
Ferguson backed his player, telling the media, ‘I have watched the video again and Cristiano would have needed the strength of Atlas not to go down. We have seen evidence over the weekend that diving is a problem in our game and I believe the introduction of foreign players has brought that part. But I don’t think Ronaldo dived.’
The diving allegations would follow Ronaldo around all season. Former United great George Best chose to focus on the quality of Cristiano’s performance: ‘He was definitely man of the match. He was a magician and, at times, it looked like he had three legs as he was doing so many step-overs.’
The controversy was a major part of Ronaldo’s first season in English football. He quickly noticed the differences between the Premiership and the Portuguese league, feeling that defenders escaped punishment more frequently in England and that referees tended to favour defenders. He was accustomed to seeing a defender booked immediately for a bad challenge, but in the Premiership he thought his markers got away with several fouls before receiving a yellow card. A common sight during Cristiano’s early days was a frustrated, exasperated and quizzical expression on his face as he struggled to accept the referees’ decisions.
Ronaldo was admittedly a very slight young man but he could handle the rough treatment. His days playing street football against older boys had stood him in good stead. Back then, he would be fouled or even beaten up for outwitting his stronger but less skilful opponents. That was not the issue. Cristiano was simply used to flair players being better protected by officials. He had already noticed that referees in Champions League matches were stricter over fouls.
The situation was very delicate and many players’ tendencies to fall easily was a growing trend in world football. As a skilful attacker, Ronaldo felt that he had the right to fall if he was fouled. This continues to be a problem. The difficulty comes from the fact that often minor, more subtle fouls – shirt tugs, nudges, obstructions – are only awarded by referees if a player falls to the ground. When he tries to stay on his feet, a player is rarely awarded a free-kick. The same is true of football all over the world.
In midweek, United began their European campaign with a 5-0 win over Greek side Panathinaikos. Ronaldo was pleased with the Champions League group stage draw, as the Reds received three very beatable opponents. As well as Panathinaikos, United would face Stuttgart of Germany and Glasgow Rangers. Facing Rangers at Ibrox was a match that excited Ronaldo greatly, and his team-mates told him all about the kind of atmosphere to expect when the team travelled to Glasgow.
Ferguson opted to rest Ronaldo against the Greeks in order to keep the winger fresh and, in fairness, he was not required on a night when United overpowered their opponents. Five different scorers showed good squad depth and everyone was pleased with a winning start in the competition. Part of the incentive for Cristiano in joining United was the chance to compete and challenge for the Champions League trophy. But he would have to wait before he got his first appearance in the competition.
By leaving Ronaldo and captain Roy Keane on the bench, Ferguson ensured that they were raring to go for the home fixture against Arsenal on 21 September. A tight battle ended in a 0-0 draw, but it was not lacking in controversy. The first 80 minutes were rather uneventful, but the contest truly sparked into life when Patrick Vieira was sent off late-on. Diego Forlan then won a dubious penalty, van Nistelrooy smashed it against the underside of the crossbar and a mêlée broke out between United and Arsenal players. The Gunners, having put in a very good performance, behaved disgracefully in taunting and shoving van Nistelrooy over his penalty miss, and it all left a sour taste in the mouth.
It certainly was not a happy first experience of the United–Arsenal rivalry for Ronaldo, whose willing runs were well-marshalled by Ashley Cole. The winger also found himself involved in the chaotic aftermath as tempers flared on both sides, clashing with Martin Keown and earning himself an improper conduct charge. The FA took firm action, particularly against the Arsenal players, handing out fines and bans to Lauren (four games), Keown (three games) and Ray Parlour (one game). For United, Ronaldo and Giggs received fines. Predictably, a poll in the Manchester Evening News showed that 90 per cent of people felt that the punishments given to the United players were unfair.
A van Nistelrooy hat-trick sealed a 4-1 win away to Leicester on 27 September, putting United back on track. Ronaldo was an unused substitute as Ferguson looked to prevent his young star from tiring. With the team competing for four trophies, the manager knew he had to keep shuffling his pack in order to get the best from his players. Ronaldo returned to the starting line-up for the Champions League match away to Stuttgart. Despite playing well in patches, it was a bad night for United as the Germans took advantage of a few sloppy moments to go 2-0 up. It was Ronaldo who pulled United back into the game when he was fouled in the area and van Nistelrooy despatched the resulting penalty. At the other end, Tim Howard saved a Stuttgart penalty to keep United in the hunt for a point, but it was not to be – and the Reds could have few complaints.
The Germans, however, had one particular complaint to make. Stuttgart goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand made it clear that he was unhappy with Ronaldo’s role in earning United their penalty, ‘I had been told that Ronaldo had a reputation in England for diving and I have to say that after this game I can see why that is. He definitely dived for his penalty. I was behind him and the next minute he was