by Luca Caioli
‘Winning. Getting points is the most important thing. If we manage to entertain everyone, so much the better. But we are here to win points.’
What do you think of the race for this year’s individual titles – the Ballon d’Or, the FIFA World Player?
‘I’m not thinking about it. I’m only focusing on having a good season. Individual prizes are important, but they’re not the most important thing.’
Would you like to keep taking free kicks?
‘That’s up to the coach, but yes, I would like to.’
Finally, at 11.05pm, it’s time for the last question.
Who is the best in the world: you, Messi or Kaká?
‘Real Madrid is the best.’ Everyone laughs.
‘Thank you everyone, good night.’ The director of communications brings the new number 9’s first press conference to a close. The presentation of the most expensive player in footballing history is over, but the Real Madrid TV cameras still follow him down the corridors. ‘It has been an incredible day,’ says Cristiano. ‘I have really enjoyed it. Thank you so much everyone.’ He waves, and then he’s gone.
Chapter 19
Sir Alex and Cristiano
‘Ferguson has always been like a second father to me.’
‘Cristiano has been a marvellous player for Manchester United,’ says Sir Alex Ferguson. ‘His contribution has been a major factor in the club’s success in that time and his talent, his ability to entertain and his infectious personality have enthralled fans the world over.’ The Man United manager has nothing but praise for CR7 upon his departure from the club, wishing him the best in the next stage of his professional career at Real Madrid.
Contrary to what everyone says about Ferguson not taking it well when stars leave the club, Cristiano’s farewell has been very positive. Sir Alex’s parting words are proof of that, and Ronaldo reaffirms it during his first outing with the press at the Bernabéu. ‘I have no problem speaking openly about my relationship with him. It always was and always will be very good. I spoke to him about it and everything is fine. Life has to go on … ’
Life goes on, but Ferguson has not forgotten his star player. ‘We knew we could never replace Ronaldo,’ he explains at the start of the 2009–10 season. ‘No matter what anyone says about the lad, for me he is the best footballer in the world. When you’ve had someone who is the best at what he does, it is no good trying to find someone to do the same job. And when you know you can’t replace someone or something, you look for a different way.’ He adds: ‘We will miss Ronaldo’s goals, that is obvious. But Berbatov will do well this year and Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen are both capable of getting twenty goals.’
The manager knows that Cristiano is a huge loss for the club, that it won’t be the same without the Portuguese number 7, but he has to defend his team. That’s his job, just as it’s his job to rise to the challenge of rebuilding a team that has lost a key player. He did it when Paul Ince went to Inter Milan and Mark Hughes left for Chelsea in 1995, when Eric Cantona hung up his boots in 1997, and when Beckham went to Madrid in 2003.
In any case, it’s completely normal to miss a player who has just left, especially one whom you have helped develop from talented youngster into world-class superstar. But even after some time, Sir Alex has not forgotten about Ronaldo. In March 2010, when things don’t seem to be going as well for Cristiano as he had hoped, his former manager tells the Daily Express: ‘Cristiano knows the value of Manchester United. That’s the thing. What the players have got here is protection. They come to training every day and there is nobody here to disturb them. I don’t think Real Madrid is an easy club to play for. There is a circus attached to it. There are often loads of fans and an intensive media always filming them.’
He almost seems to open the door for Ronaldo to return. ‘You would like to think that one day he will come back, but you never know,’ he admits. ‘I don’t think he will stay at Real Madrid for life or anything like that. There will be other challenges and he is that type of player who welcomes them … I have a good bond with him. He is a good guy. I like Cristiano.’
And he reiterates his feelings just before the first leg of the 2011 Champions League semi-final between Real and Barça, the duel between Cristiano and Leo. ‘I had Ronaldo here as a player and I think he is the best player in the world,’ Ferguson tells the club’s official website. ‘He can play with both feet, he has fantastic skill, strength and bravery, and he’s a great header of the ball. But Messi is an absolutely fantastic player also. It’s difficult to choose between the two, it’s the toss of a coin.
‘It depends on how you view your player. The fact that I had Ronaldo here so long, I know him well. I saw how he dedicated himself in training sessions to becoming the best player in the world and so that would weigh heavily on my view of him as a player and as a person. But you look at the boy Messi and you know that he’s a serious player. He loves playing football. He’s as brave as a lion because he will always take the ball in any situation. They are different types of player but there’s no doubt both provide a fantastic end product.’
Messi or Cristiano? They ask him again after the final of the 2011 Copa del Rey, which Real win thanks to a Cristiano header. Ferguson says he will always choose Ronaldo over Messi despite them both being great players. ‘I’ve got loyalties towards Ronaldo and I know the qualities he’s got,’ he explains.
Why does the surly Scotsman have such a loyalty towards the Portuguese? Because he took a gamble in 2003. Thanks to some great advice from Carlos Queiroz, his right hand man at the time, he was able to anticipate the advances of all the other clubs that were interested in the boy from Madeira. On top of that, Ronaldo always showed him that he is one of those players who never settles, he wants to get better every day. He is a footballer who never rests on his laurels – even after a title or a trophy win, he always wants more, he always wants to win more. And he demonstrated that to him consistently over six years.
Working hard means immersing oneself in a team, being the first to arrive at training and the last to leave. As Ferguson often revealed, when the others were hitting the showers Cristiano was still on the pitch practising free kicks, shots, penalties, or in the gym building up his fitness, gaining weight (he went from 75 to 85 kilos during his time there), strengthening his muscles, and above all, learning how football is played at the top.
Ferguson bet on him symbolically on day one when he gave him the number 7 shirt. And, as he explained at a managerial conference, he gradually taught his new player how to channel his self-confidence for the benefit of the team. And he succeeded: with goals, titles and trophies. For Ferguson, Cristiano is a special player, particularly when it comes to making decisions. ‘He never feels afraid or pressured. He does what he thinks is best.’
Ferguson knows that Ronaldo is capable of captivating a crowd, of bringing that magic that the English admire onto the football pitch. United veteran Denis Law agrees. The 1956 Ballon d’Or says Ronaldo really knows how to get the fans going, while club legend and 1966 Ballon d’Or winner Bobby Charlton says he ‘dazzled’ the Old Trafford crowd from day one.
But the relationship between the manager and United’s number 7 was not always a bed of roses. As with every relationship, there have been good times and more testing ones. The 2008 Ballon d’Or was a happy occasion, particularly after Sir Alex and the whole town had been waiting 40 years to see a United player honoured with the coveted trophy. And the Champions League win in 2009 was the culmination of an incredible season – Cristiano’s way of showing Ferguson that everything he had taught him had paid off in the way of goals and statistics.
As for the difficult moments, they started when Ferguson benched Ronaldo right at the beginning – part of his way of easing the kid into his new surroundings, ensuring he wasn’t under too much pressure and was able to adapt and progress. But the player’s anger at being benched or not starting a game was unprecedented. The Rooney World Cup incident in July 2006 was
also a testing time, but with the support of the directors, the experienced manager succeeded in convincing him to come back to the club.
And in June 2008 when Cristiano declared that he wanted to play for Real Madrid, the British media talked openly about the rift between the coach and his star player and maintained that Cristiano had said Ferguson would not be welcome in the Portuguese camp at Euro 2008. But none of these conflicts have changed Sir Alex’s opinion. Even as he bade farewell to Cristiano, he said he was convinced that his number 7’s best years were still ahead of him.
But what does Ronaldo think of his former coach? ‘He has always been like a second father to me,’ the Real player tells Sky Sports, explaining that it has been that way since he arrived at Man United at the age of eighteen. And it’s not just a question of having respect for one of the greatest football coaches in the world. He really does feel the same affection towards Ferguson as a son does for his father – a much deeper bond than simply that of coach and player.
‘Sometimes he used to talk to me about things that had nothing to do with football, and I would always listen because his words made me a better person,’ he has explained. In terms of football, ‘he has been a key influence throughout my career. He has encouraged me to develop and improve. I learned from him every day and he has helped me become who I am today.’
Cristiano recalls how the United coach always supported him, encouraged him and taught him to deal with his problems. He motivated him in innumerable ways, such as betting on how many goals he would score each season. ‘I have good memories from Manchester and when I watch the games I miss it a lot because it’s part of me left in England,’ he tells Sky Sports. ‘Just because I play in Madrid I’m not going to miss speaking with the old guys, so when I have an opportunity I speak with Sir Alex Ferguson. It was important for me when I played there, when my life was there, so it is good to speak with him because I’ll never forget who really helped me.’
Chapter 20
Zero titles
‘The truth is I feel sad and frustrated at not having won a single title in my first season at Real Madrid.’
The alarm clock goes off early. It’s Friday 10 July and Cristiano has an appointment at 8.30am sharp at Real Madrid’s training facilities in the Valdebebas complex, around fifteen kilometres north of the city. Before he can start the first training session of the season, there is the obligatory blood test followed by breakfast, then he has to meet the tailors to be measured up for his official Hugo Boss team suit. A pin here, an adjustment there, and then he’s ready for his photo. It’s a first-day-of-school moment of nerves and smiles.
Once the measuring and posing is over, it’s time for the 29-strong squad to head out onto the pitch. A few members are missing, including Florentino’s other star signing Kaká, who has been playing in the Confederations Cup.
Green grass, white goalposts, swallows flying low, empty stands, and seats painted to spell out ‘Real Madrid’. In the distance they can see the ever-expanding residential neighbourhoods and the stadium’s four towers of glass and steel gleaming in the sun.
In the press box on the second floor of the training complex, an army of cameras and microphones is impatiently awaiting the most expensive player in the world’s appearance on the pitch. Captain Raúl is the first to emerge at 9.30am, followed by the others in dribs and drabs. Finally, Cristiano appears in a white T-shirt and black trousers. The cameras flash wildly.
The players gather in a circle in the centre of the pitch for the first team talk from Manuel Pellegrini and his colleagues. After a five minute warm-up, they start their stretching exercises and ball technique. Cristiano teams up with Brazilian winger Marcelo, Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze, and the Brazilian defender Pepe, who now has Portuguese nationality. Cristiano knows Heinze from his stint in Man United between 2004 and 2007, and his 1998-99 season at Sporting when Ronaldo was just a ball-boy for the first team. After fifteen minutes the blinds of the press box are drawn, obscuring the rest of the training session from the media.
On 13 July, after three days of training at Valdebebas, the team flies to Dublin. After four years, the Whites are swapping the town of Irdning in the foothills of the Austrian Alps for Maynooth, a small town in Ireland’s County Kildare, 22 kilometres from the capital. The base for preseason training is the Carton House Hotel, an eighteenth century former stately home belonging to the Dukes of Leinster, which has played host to royalty including Queen Victoria, Prince Rainier of Monaco and Grace Kelly.
Ronaldo is the centre of attention. The fans try to catch glimpses of him on the golf course and the press try their best to corner him. At first he is accompanied by hotel security wherever he goes, but he is not comfortable having to be so cloak-and-dagger, so the Real management decide to remove the bodyguards.
In these first few days and weeks of the preseason, Cristiano surprises his team-mates. Spanish defender Michel Salgado reveals that ‘Ronaldo goes at warp speed’, and comments that ‘he is taking the team to another level, offering height, speed and movement’. The Argentine Ezequiel Garay, another new addition to the white camp, says he loves watching him train, while Raúl sings his praises, affirming that Cristiano is ‘a down-to-earth, hardworking kid’.
New coach Pellegrini has plenty to say: ‘I have had a chance to see Cristiano play the way I knew he could. The public persona he has built for himself is one thing – as a player he is something else altogether. He is completely down-to-earth and unassuming, with no superstar pretensions. He is always the first to arrive at training. He has integrated himself into the team very quickly and bonded with his team-mates.’
Cristiano is staying in room 223 and in the dining room he tends to sit with Raúl, Heinze, Guti, Salgado and Benzema. They enjoy lengthy discussions and debates over their meals – and not just about football. In his first Irish press conference, the Portuguese admits that ‘I had no idea it would be so great. It’s a fantastic group and I’m delighted that all the players were so welcoming when I arrived. I wasn’t expecting such a reception. I had been reading the papers and they weren’t saying very nice things. But I’m here now, and I’m very happy. Whoever was saying that there was a bad atmosphere in the Real Madrid dressing room was wrong.’
The first friendly is on 20 July against Shamrock Rovers and the Tallaght Stadium is packed. Everyone wants to see Real Madrid take on the Hoops, Ireland’s most successful team, who have fifteen league titles and 24 cups to their name and came second in the league last season. Cristiano is starting on the right wing. Before the match, Rovers goalie Barry Murphy warns that no Real player, not even Ronaldo, will get one past him. He ultimately manages to deny Cristiano, although it’s fair to say that during the 45 minutes he is on the pitch the Portuguese creates the best chances for the Whites, showing off his full repertoire of bicycle kicks, tackles and runs. It’s a great debut which ends in a 1-0 victory for Real, thanks to a Benzema goal.
It’s a long preseason: eight matches between the Peace Cup, a Stateside tour and the Santiago Bernabéu trophy. Cristiano plays a total of 603 minutes and scores three goals (just two shy of Raúl and Benzema’s totals). Spanish sports paper Marca writes that Cristiano still has not found his feet at Madrid, that the Portuguese star is suffering from ‘Zidane syndrome’ – anxiety and pressure due to an enormous amount of expectation and failure to adapt.
But once the season begins everything changes, and his performances and his goal-scoring average improve significantly. On 29 August, the first matchday of La Liga, he scores his first goal in an official match against Deportivo de La Coruña at the Bernabéu – a penalty that puts Real in the lead. He celebrates by looking towards the stands and leaping into the air, fist raised.
After five games, his tally is up to seven. In one against Villarreal, he sets off on a slalom from the halfway line and dodges past three opponents, before taking on goalkeeper Diego López, who is powerless to block his shot. He scores two against Zürich in his Champions League debut
, both from free kicks, with the ball travelling at more than 100 kilometres per hour. It’s a fantastic start, the best of his career, and one of the most stellar debuts in Real Madrid history.
There is just one thing that bothers Cristiano in those opening weeks: being substituted. Pellegrini has already done it once, and on 26 September in the 79th minute against Tenerife at the Bernabéu, he decides to bench him for a second time. This is the first match in which Cristiano has not scored and he marches angrily to the dugout, sits down without shaking the manager’s hand, and kicks away a ball that is lying near him on the ground. It’s unclear if this is a sign of frustration towards Pellegrini.
The coach plays down the incident: ‘It’s not important. No one likes being substituted. I don’t think it’s an issue.’ The Chilean coach had already decided that he should rotate the team in order to rest his top players, especially given the number of games Real have to play this season. But Cristiano doesn’t like the swapping around. As Jorge Valdano points out: ‘Ronaldo is a very ambitious player. He is genuinely anxious to ensure he manages to score and bring something great to every game.’ In other words, he wants to be the star and he wants to be on the pitch as much as possible.
Three days later on 30 September, it’s not a substitution but bad luck which will prevent him from staying on in the second Champions League match. He scores two goals against Olympique de Marseille, but bad-tempered defender Souleymane Diawara later takes him down in the box, stamping on his right ankle. Ronaldo cries out in pain from the ground, tries to get up, realises he is limping, and leaves Kaká to take the penalty. Despite his injury he goes on to score a third, but in the 66th minute he is substituted by Gonzalo Higuaín and he watches the rest of the match with a bag of ice on his ankle.
The doctors say he has severe bruising and a slight sprain – he’ll be out for two or three weeks. He doesn’t play in the match against Sevilla, the Whites’ first La Liga defeat of the season, but he does fly to Lisbon to join his national team squad, who are in training for World Cup 2010 qualifiers against Hungary and Malta. Even though he is not 100 per cent fit, he says he feels fine, making every effort to be available to his team – something which is extremely important to him. But on 10 October against Hungary, he only lasts 27 minutes on the pitch, suffering a relapse in the process.