Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH ComM is a Portuguese professional footballer who captains the Portugal national team and plays as a forward for Premier League side Manchester United. Frequently regarded as the best player in the world and one of the greatest players of all time.
Ronaldo is a flexible attacker who can play on either wing or in the middle of the pitch, and while he is apparently right-footed, he is quite strong with both feet. He is one of the fastest footballers in the world, both with and without the ball. Ronaldo's tactics have changed multiple times over his career. He was often positioned as a traditional winger on the right side of midfield at Sporting and during his first season at Manchester United when he regularly looked to provide crosses into the penalty box. He was able to use his speed and acceleration, agility, and technical ability to take on opponents in one-on-one situations while in this position. Ronaldo saw a tremendous physical shift as he grew older, developing a muscular body type that allowed him to keep possession of the ball under duress and strong legs that allowed him to jump extremely high. He has an advantage in aerial duels due to his strength and jumping skills, as well as his elevation, heading accuracy, and height of 1.87 m. His goalscoring abilities improved dramatically on the left flank, where he was afforded the positional freedom to move into the center to finish attacks, thanks to his enhanced stamina and work rate. With his vision and passing abilities, he has also become a more creative player for his side, frequently dropping deep to pick up the ball, contributing to the build-up of plays, and creating opportunities for his teammates. Ronaldo took on a more offensive and central role, playing as a striker, a supporting forward, and even an attacking midfielder on occasion. With his striking skills, he grew into a prolific goalscorer, capable of finishing well both inside and outside the penalty area with an accurate and powerful shot. He became known for his powerful, bending-free kicks after becoming a set-piece specialist and an adept penalty kick taker. Ronaldo is noted for employing the Juninho Pernambucano-developed knuckleball method when taking free kicks. Before striking the ball, he also takes a signature posture in which he stands with his legs spread wide apart. Ronaldo began to dribble less as he approached his forties.
His wings were severed in 2021. Prior to returning to MU, Ronaldo's Juventus are battling hard in Serie A, and Portugal is not at its best. Juve was knocked out of the Champions League round of 16 last year, after reaching the quarterfinals the year before. Ronaldo is slipping down the list of the finest players in the world. On 27 August 2021, Manchester United announced they had reached an agreement with Juventus to re-sign Ronaldo. On11 September, Ronaldo made his second debut at Old Trafford, scoring the opening two goals in a 4–1 league victory against Newcastle United. On 29 September, he scored a last-minute winner in United's 2–1 victory at home to Villarreal in the Champions League. The match also saw Ronaldo overtake Iker Casillas as the player with the most appearances in the competition.
Awards:
- Victory in the inaugural UEFA Nations League: 2019
- The Golden Boot as top scorer of Euro 2020
