“I’m pretty certain he’s the best footballer Dean Court – for sponsorship purposes now the Goldsands Ground – has ever seen. Literally – the oft-abused ‘literally’ – the best footballer that has ever played on this pitch. The supporters who turned up that day booed him all game.” – Neil Atkinson, Make Us Dream, p.128.
COMING BACK TO ANFIELD: Ronaldo, not Mark Gonzalez
ONE of the best footballers of all time is playing at Anfield next week, writes SAM WILLIAMS.
Not just one of the best footballers in the world. Not just one of the best footballers of his generation. One of the best footballers of all time. Ever. In history.
None of Pele, Maradona or Di Stefano ever played at Anfield. Neither did Zidane or Matthaus. Messi has and Cruyff did, but as teenagers and before their prime years. Messi was stifled by Alvaro Arbeloa in 2007, Cruyff scored twice in a 2-2 draw in 1966.
So, next Wednesday, Cristiano Ronaldo (that’s former Manchester United footballer Cristiano Ronaldo) becomes the greatest to ever play at Anfield.
It’s an uncomfortable truth and it doesn’t feel right. But sometimes the truth hurts. He’s played here before, of course. Most recently in December 2007 (see ‘Carlos Tevez winner, Kop end’).
But that was then, and this is now. Then he was 22 years of age; still learning, still developing. Admittedly, he was a pretty good 22-year-old. Just over 12 months after that game he was named the world’s best player.
But now? This Ronaldo, the 2014 Ronaldo, is superhuman – a footballing Frankenstein’s monster who plays, and looks, like he’s the prototype of some grand scientific experiment to build the footballer of tomorrow.
Ronaldo has scored 269 goals in 257 games for Real Madrid. He is the record goalscorer for Portugal. Twice world footballer of the year in an era he shares, an era he bestrides, with Messi.
Two hundred and sixty nine goals in two hundred and fifty seven games for Real Madrid. Read that again. And again. It’s just not normal.
Yeah, he’s arrogant, egotistical, vain, narcissistic… So what? There are over seven billion people on this planet and he’s officially better at football than every single one of them.
Surely you’re allowed to be arrogant and egotistical and vain and narcissistic if you’re the best, numero uno, better than everyone else in the profession you’ve dedicated your life to? All the best people are arrogant, anyway. Maybe not as overtly as Ronaldo, but they are. They have to be. And that’s fine. It’s misplaced arrogance that’s irritating. Ronaldo’s arrogance is anything but misplaced.
Listen to people who’ve worked with him. He’s achieved everything he has through graft. Through the obsessive, bloody-minded desire to become the very best. That deserves respect.
Even Roy Keane loves him.
But back to next Wednesday. Liverpool versus Real Madrid. Anfield. Cristiano Ronaldo will get booed next Wednesday. His name will be booed when it’s read out before kick-off. His every touch will be booed. He’ll get booed all game.
Much like Luis Suarez at Bournemouth last season, in fact.
That prefix – the ‘former Manchester United footballer’ thing – will boost the volume and vociferousness of said booing. And obviously, he’s not just any ‘former Manchester United footballer’.
He’s an icon there. A legend. A man they fly planes over grounds for (mind you, they do that for Steven Gerrard, too).
But he won’t get booed because he played 35 miles down the road five years ago. Not really. He’ll get booed because we fear him. Of course we fear him. Remember the 269 goals in 257 games bit? That’s why we fear him.
But, regardless of his past, vocalising that fear with boos…that’s a bit small-time, isn’t it? A bit Bournemouth?
Statistics suggest (in fact they do a bit more than that – they instruct, they scream, they shout) that this is a man who will score next Wednesday. He’s got 13 in six league games this season, 17 in 11 overall. Chances are he’ll hurt us.
But if (or when) he does, let’s think of him as ‘Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo’, not ‘former Manchester United footballer Cristiano Ronaldo’.
He’s one who ticks that cliched ‘we’ll-tell-our-grandkids-we-saw-him-play’ box. He’s one of the greatest footballers of all time. Next week, he becomes the greatest footballer to ever play at Anfield.
Fear him, but fear him quietly. Enjoy him, respect him. After all, we’re not Bournemouth.
Are we?
Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda
Fear him….give it a rest. Would we boo Messi if he were playing….no.
He’ll be booed because he is an ex Manc. Whether we should or not is debateable but it certainly won’t be because we fear him.
I’m all for neutral articles but I’m afraid you come across as a Ronaldo sympathiser, and that doesn’t sit well with me. He is an ex-Manc – FACT! THAT is why he will be booed, not because we fear him. I’m sure we’ve feared loads of decent players but never bothered booing them because they don’t have the history of Ronaldo – ex-Manc! I for one will be more than happy if he gets injured in the warm up and doesn’t get to play at Anfield again ! :)
Sure you do!!
???
This website had something to say once….just the once.
Now? I can barely bring myself to type a response whilst sat here having an unusually late shite.
Well Bob, after reading that comment I’m gonna swerve writing on the TAW comments for a few months, which for me is disappointing as I enjoy it. Bit of a case of ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’. Don’t get me wrong, I’m seriously confrontational and in general prefer to comment on a point I disagree with than agree with. But I’ve tried to work out your intentions for a while now but they’re unfathomable. Like a lot of us, you clearly check the site for updates on a regular basis (more than a few times per day). You read every article as soon as it’s posted then comment with your disdain for the article, the author and the site. I’m aware it’s not my business to be concerned about but I’m taking that liberty because I feel it’s become too much now and you’re driving me away from something I enjoy. It’s making it difficult for people to constructively criticise anything because if your comment appears on the same thread I feel it lowers the tone of everyone’s comment. I’ve noticed it more and more recently. I used to describe the comments on this site to my mates by saying they’re generally well informed for a football site. Imagine if they’d logged on in the last few months, lol. They’d think I was off my head. So, I’ll lead by example and refrain from commenting but maybe you could ask yourself is now a good time to call it a day for a while too, for the benefit of all the others who enjoy it (or have until recently). Granted, you’d have a perfectly good case to say mine are too but your comments are boring. They offer nothing. Not even a smile. They just leave questions, and not good ones. Look mate, if you’ve got mental health issues then I’ll sincerely apologise but I feel it’s more some kind of warped agenda. Think about it mate. Do the right thing. Cheers
Could not agree more. Thank you robin, and please Bob, piss off.
McVities are doing 3 packets of biscuits for £1.50! Just thought I’d write something informative on this forum for a change.
Ignore him like the rest of us.
So this is now and that was then?
Was Stanley Matthews a poor footballer because he ran in slow-motion? Was Dixie Dean a poor footballer because he always wore a black and white strip even though he played for Everton?
Well,that’s all I’ver seen them do on the telly.Run in freeze frame then run like Flash,;then back to freeze-frame.And they played in black and white kit?
How bizzare?
Ronald is one of the best (if not the best) of his generation.
But there is a time and a place for everything.
“Most recently in December 2007 (see ‘Carlos Tevez winner, Kop end’).”
Those snide, inevitable 1-0s Utd used to eek out against us around that time were killer. Thought about John O’Shea’s winner at Anfield after he scored for Ireland this week. Just… Why?
Yup, it’s fear ultimately. No doubt I’ve got the quote wrong and I’ve probably got the author wrong (for which apologies) but I think it was Alan Edge who wrote in ‘Faith Of My Fathers’ – ‘George Best taught me something. He taught me how to shit myself.’
Always loved that.
AFCB fans may well have booed Suarez when he came to Dean Court in the FA Cup last season, but we applauded Ronaldo and Real Madrid not only during the warm up for their tricks and throughout the game for their skill, but even when they came off the field after beating our team 0-6! Perhaps you need to check with AFCB fans on your research?
Best of luck this season Liverpool FC – another great passing team.
You are right about Suarez – he was booed at Dean Court last season, but I guess that was a combination of us hoping to get a result and the press turning him into a pantomime villain. I am not sure if Neil Atkinson was at the friendly against Real Madrid, but his reports of Ronaldo being booed throughout could not be further from the truth. It was almost vomit inducing the way the Dean Court crowd fawned over the Real players in general and Ronaldo in particular. When he scored a free kick he was cheered on all 4 sides of the ground and was even applauded from the pitch when he was substituted. I don’t think any football fan has a problem with giving the opposition players some flak, but that was far from the case when we suddenly found ourselves sharing the pitch with the equally bewildered Real.
Utter Rubbish, AFC Bournemouth fans never booed Ronaldo!!!
No one said they did.
People who go to a football match and spend their time booing individual players are tedious cretins. It’s one thing to get riled by an incident during the course of a match and react, but to turn up with the settled intention of booing another player marks you out as a dick. I don’t care who he’s played for or how “arrogant” he appears. If you do it, you’re an idiot.
Given what we know of him, booing will only increase his already incredible appetite to play well against us.
Will that stop the idiots from booing? Will it fuck.
People talk about his supposed arrogance, but there have been either zero or very few teammates with a bad word to say about him. Is it because he is a good looking lad, with millions in the bank, and knows it? Is it because he acknowledges facts? I think this idea that he is extremely arrogant (and some arrogance is a prerequisite to being a high level pro) comes from insecure and/or bitterly jealous people.
As the article says, an all time great. Used Utd as a stepping stone to his ultimate club just as Suarez did with us. But he still loves Utd for everything they did for him. Doesn’t forget where he came from. Isn’t that something we can get on board with?
His work off the ball for his team has also got better with age, where the opposite is true of Messi. And I loved Messi. I still love Barcelona.
I get the fact he played (past tense) for Utd. I get the rivalry bit. Honestly. Every weekend I hope Utd and Real Madrid get beat.
But if you are a football fan in any way I can’t comprehend why you wouldn’t have the utmost respect for Cristiano Ronaldo. And I can’t comprehend why anyone thinks booing him will be a good idea. Is he mentally weak? Would he crack in that environment? No. It just gives him and Utd fans more cause to rub it in even more when he scores his second in front of the Kop come Wednesday night.
I think some of you in the Bournemouth contingent have misinterpreted things a bit. The quote is from Neil Atkinson in Make Us Dream, so I assume it is in reference to Luis Suarez’s game at Dean Court, not Ronaldo’s. Can’t imagine why he’d be discussing a friendly involving two teams that aren’t Liverpool, but I guess I could be wrong.
Correct. Suarez in the FA Cup.
I guess it’s worth remembering that he scored the killer goal at Old Trafford last time Real played there (yisssss!!!), despite the home fans not booing him. He’ll score whether he’s booed or not, as 269 goals in 257 appearances would seem to indicate.
So the idea of not booing and he may not score is ludicrous.
I won’t boo him on Wednesday cos I dont think he’s that important compared to supporting the team in red. He doesn’t mean that much to me. I’d rather show him indifference and cheer the Reds to the rafters as we do every European night.
But if others was to boo him, fine by me.
Don’t think anyone is saying if he isn’t booed he won’t score.
But if its 1-3 to Madrid with the match won and we’re still giving him pelters, the stick would make him want to put another one in. Human nature.
Great little read, that.
Lots of people seem to have got their knickers in a twist about it but, honestly, why not at least slightly enjoy the spectacle of seeing one of the greatest of all time be great?
Nope he ain’t the best, Cruyff in his Barca Pomp in 1976 was and will still be the best, UEFA Cup semi final. Silky, silky skills and all understated.
Ronaldos goal scoring record is impressive but would he have got that record in the Prem ? I doubt it.
But if he floats your boat you tick them boxes, me I will look to players like Gazza, now he really was a player you looked forward to seeing at Anfield in an opposition shirt, natural ability beyond belief and a real laugh too. Most probably not fit to lace Rons boots in most peoples eyes, but I support LFC and I can pick and choose who I want to idolise elsewhere.
He scored 31 in 34 premier league games for Utd in 07/08. And he only reached his peak after he left for Madrid. And he’s not even a striker. And thats not mentioning his assists.
Safe to say his goal scoring record would have been just fine in England had he decided to stay. Thank fuck he didn’t.
13 goals in 6 league games and 17 in 11 overall. That’s some shooting lad.
Booing him only motivates him. Good luck guys