outburst was the second time that Cristiano had been accused of diving by opponents and he had only been at the club a matter of months. He struggled to understand what all the fuss was about.
Birmingham arrived at Old Trafford fearing a backlash after United’s European defeat. Their worst fears were confirmed when the Reds put in a fluent performance to win 3-0. Ferguson left Ronaldo on the bench and the winger sat comfortably as his team-mates turned on the style. It was a little reminder for Cristiano that there was plenty of work ahead of him if he wanted to be a regular in the United first team. There were a number of other players ready to snatch the winger’s place if his standards dropped.
Hungry though he was for more international experience, Ronaldo had to wait until October for his next appearance, having missed out on the friendlies against Spain (a 3-0 defeat) and Norway (a 1-0 victory). A home game against Albania gave him another opportunity to impress and this time Scolari named Ronaldo in the starting line-up. The winger experienced walking out to a packed stadium and singing the national anthem with his team-mates for the first time. It was reassuring to look around the team and see so many veterans of international football. Captain Luis Figo, playmaker Rui Costa and striker Pedro Pauleta had all collected knowledge through years of playing at the highest level – both at club and international level. They helped to ease Cristiano into the set up and it was important that he had players to turn to for advice.
The game against Albania proved to be a thrilling contest, with Portugal eventual 5-3 winners. Ronaldo thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of the occasion, but he was substituted at half-time to allow others to stake their claims for a place in the Euro 2004 squad. As hosts, Portugal had qualified automatically for the competition and so played friendlies in the build-up to the tournament rather than qualifiers. These friendlies were the only chances to impress the manager and Cristiano was anxious to know whether he had shown enough potential to earn a place in Scolari’s plans. Albania were far from a strong side but to score five goals was a positive sign nonetheless, and Ronaldo was well aware that he faced stiff competition for a spot in the Euro 2004 squad. But every now and again he had to pinch himself – he still found his progress from the Sporting youth teams to the Portuguese national team unbelievable. Now a major international tournament beckoned for the young winger, if he got the nod from Scolari.
At Elland Road against Leeds on 18 October, the Portuguese star was restored to the line-up and was never far from the action. Rio Ferdinand, returning to his former club, received a hostile reception, but Ronaldo did not escape their abuse either. One tumble earned him a yellow card for diving and an earful from the Elland Road crowd. The exciting aspect for Ferguson was that Ronaldo did not hide in such situations and continued to seek the ball in the final third of the pitch. He struck the angle of bar and post with a long-range strike and kept the Leeds back four on their toes. United left it late to grab the three points, as Roy Keane headed home Gary Neville’s cross with nine minutes remaining. It was a valuable 1-0 win, which the players had deserved.
In the build up to the midweek Champions League fixtures, Portugal international Costinha warned Rangers that they were in for a tough night when facing Cristiano. ‘I think the Rangers left back will need an awful lot of luck when he comes up against Ronaldo in his current form. I believe the kid is now ready to make a real impact in the Champions League. He has a strong mentality and the challenge won’t scare him,’ he said. As chance would have it, United would see Costinha and his Porto team-mates later in the season.
But, as was becoming typical with Ferguson, he gave Ronaldo a place on the bench again for the European match with Rangers after his display against Leeds. Sir Alex was determined not to overuse Cristiano so early in his career. Phil Neville was United’s hero as they put in a very professional team performance to win 1-0 at Ibrox. Cristiano was just disappointed not to experience the atmosphere himself. With a home game against Rangers to come, United felt confident of making the next round of the competition.
Domestically, though, Ronaldo and his team-mates played poorly at home to Fulham and suffered an embarrassing 3-1 defeat. It was one of the winger’s worst displays of the season, as he struggled to make an impact on the match and wasted the ball too often. With a style of play like his, there were bound to be off days and Cristiano tried to remember this in his disappointment. Ferguson was left to rue his decision to rest Roy Keane, as Steed Malbranque weaved his magic in Fulham’s midfield. It was the kind of result that United could do without if they were to match Arsenal’s strong start.
Despite not producing their best form, United continued to pick up points both domestically and in the Champions League. After losing against Fulham, the team won six consecutive games in all competitions. November began well with a 3-0 home win over Portsmouth. Ronaldo and Keane came off the bench for brief cameos and turned a nervy 1-0 lead into an emphatic victory; Ronaldo scored United’s second goal with a fizzing free-kick from the left touchline that evaded everyone and curled into the corner of the net and Keane grabbed the third. Cristiano’s relationship with Keane was an intriguing one. His captain was as vocal as anyone in letting Ronaldo know when he had made the wrong decision, yet significantly, his words seemed to inspire Cristiano rather than leave him dejected.
Ronaldo’s display against Portsmouth was further evidence of the impact that he could have on a game and he was relishing playing in front of 75,000 people inside Old Trafford. Ferguson was pleased with the result, but he was well aware that Arsenal had flown out of the blocks at the start of the season and were yet to be beaten. Arsène Wenger’s players seemed extremely focused on bringing the trophy back to London. Having lost two Premiership games already, United were playing catch-up.
Victory over Rangers in the Champions League pushed United towards the next stage of the competition. Cristiano returned to the starting line-up as Ferguson revealed his tactics regarding keeping the youngster fresh, ‘What we realised after the game we lost in Stuttgart is maybe we asked too much of him. We keep forgetting he is only 18. We can’t ask him to play every game.’ A 3-0 scoreline reflected the team’s dominance and Ronaldo played a key role in the team’s second goal, scored by van Nistelrooy. Cristiano’s energetic display made it harder for Ferguson to leave him out of the team.
One of the grittiest performances of United’s season came in the cauldron of Anfield on 9 November, as Liverpool were beaten 2-1. Ferguson chose to leave Ronaldo on the bench, selecting a more defensive line-up and perhaps thinking that the tension of the occasion might affect the youngster. Keane had a phenomenal game and United took plenty of positives from the match. It was a major boost for an injury-hit squad and Cristiano savoured the jubilant mood in the dressing room. Seeing the reactions of club stalwarts Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, Ronaldo quickly understood the passion involved in matches against Liverpool. The team won again two weeks later against Blackburn, with Ronaldo providing a cameo off the bench.
Ronaldo was selected in a very young United team for the away Champions League fixture against Panathinaikos on 26 November, and he seemed to relish the responsibility of being one of the few regular first-team players. He enjoyed the weight of expectation. It was a narrow 1-0 win, through a late Diego Forlan goal, but there was little to praise in the team performance apart from Ronaldo’s contribution. He constantly eluded his marker and tried his best to craft chances for his team-mates, almost finding Giggs on one occasion. The result meant that United cruised into the Champions League second round and there was plenty of belief in the squad that they could go all the way to the final.
But in the league, Arsenal were proving untouchable and seemed intent on exacting revenge on United for the previous season’s disappointments. When United lost 1-0 away to Chelsea on 30 November, their title chances were already looking bleak. On the bright side, with every game, Ronaldo was learning more about his team-mates and about the team’s style of play. It was a tough learning curve, with every move monitored so closely, but signs of development were evident. His grasp of the English language was slowly improving and the more he learned, the more comfortable he felt in the dressing room with his team-mates, who had given him the fairly unoriginal nickname ‘Ronny’.
However, the big criticism levelled at the winger was the lack of an end product. His skills regularly left defenders flummoxed and he would find himself in excellent positions, but he would then let himself down with a