[ ]Soccer Player of theYear

CR7There is something almost balletic about Ronaldo’s play that transforms mere posses-sion of the ball into a footballing pas-de-deux. Much as he is restless whilst others enjoy the limelight, the graceful Ronaldo comes to life with the ball at his feet, pirouetting away from opposing defenders with poise, and gliding across the stage with an uncommon elegance. From his early days with local club Andorinha, where his father was kit man, it was clear that the young Cristiano was destined for greatness. After a short stint with Nacional, he left Madeira to follow his dream and, as it has turned out, to be-come one of the greatest play-ers in the world.Sporting’s fans

were the first to bear witness to the young genius. He made his first team debut at the age of 17, scoring twice in the process. As it turned out, he would only wear the famous green-and-white hoops for one complete season; at the start of 2003/04, English giants Manchester United came to the Portuguese capital to play Sporting in a friendly to mark the opening of the new Jose Alvalade Stadium. It was love at first sight and Sir Alex Ferguson swooped to bring the youngster to Old Trafford.With the world at his feet, Cristiano Ronaldo blazed a trail through English foot-ball on his way to becoming a global superstar. Adulation and awards followed in equal mea-sure: he was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 2008, and

he managed to fill the Santiago Bernabeu single-handedly as Real Madrid’s fans turned out in force to welcome their latest acquisition in 2009. Ronaldo has never been deterred by seemingly impossible objec-tives and long-standing re-cords. Take Ferenc Puskas’s single-season haul of 47 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid in 1959/60, for example. The Portuguese smashed that club record in 2010/11, hitting the back of the net approxi-mately every 70 minutes to chalk up 53 goals in all, 40 of them in the league, at the point another all-time high.Despite amassing a host of team and personal accolades, among them the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2008, and the Puskas Award the following.

Cristiano Ronaldo