THE RISE OF THE PHENOM

Tearing down the right, dribbling past the right back and tricking the two rover’s centre halves, unleashing a monstrous right footer and gooooooaaaaaaaal! As he ran the length of Old Trafford, in the very red of 7, a jersey so famously adorned by David Beckham, Eric Cantona, to the loudest of cheers from the fans, Christiano Ronaldo had arrived.

The year 2003, the English Premier League welcomed a golden streaked boy, all of 17 from Portugal, Ronaldo came, shone and conquered the hearts of millions of fans worldwide. A 12 mn $ recruit from Sporting Lisbon, the world did not know him nor the talent within. But he did not care, as his nimble movements started giving nightmares to already established defenders. As the world went gaga over ‘Ron’, as he was being fondly called by the die hard Red Devils, he shone brighter.

Two seasons passed, and Ronaldo had more expectations riding on his shoulder. Mentored by the amazing manager Sir Alex Ferguson, the world wanted Ronaldo to help Man Utd wrest away the championship from Chelsea and their special one Jose Mourinho. Ron had the potential but did he have the heart to rise to the occasion. The question lingered.

But Ron proved his detractors wrong as he played some amazing football to help Man Utd win the championship. That season displayed Ronaldo’s grit and determination to succeed. And he got better the next season. Scoring 42 goals in a season was no mean feat, even more for a midfielder. But what amazed more was the number of times he single handedly, or with his wonderful strikes lead Man Utd to another season of trophies. The jewel on the crown came when he won the European Champions League that season. The world stood up and applauded and he deservedly was crowned World Player Of The Year, the highest honour in the world of soccer.

As he leaves Manchester United to test new waters in Real Madrid, a record transfer making him the world’s costliest footballer, the premier league rests back to those wonderful memories he gave. English football shall surely miss him and his genius.