Manchester United Boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, feels that everything is in the right order for Cristiano Ronaldo to move forward. According to him, the Portugal forward can become a true great of the game.
In his short career, Ronaldo has seen all his sides achieve plenty of accolades. It started following an appearance in the finals of Euro 2004 for Portugal. Then, he moved to lifting couple of Premier League wins and one Champions League trophy for the Reds Devils.
Portuguese winger has even been honored with prestigious awards including the footballer of the year and Ballon D’Or.
Ferguson said, ‘Pele scored in semifinal of the World Cup at 17, whereas Maradona started playing for Argentina at the same age. Cristiano was also 18 when he made his debut for Portugal. Signs are quite similar.’
‘What you may still not know about Ronaldo, but about the other two greats, is that they had a career, which lasted for a long time.’
Ferguson feels that Ronaldo should maintain high-levels, which earned him 42 goals in the previous year. He amassed major honors that Zinedine Zidane and Ruud Gullit achieved for assuming the mantle of greatness, which they did.
Yet, the wily Scot knows that Ronaldo is having all attributes required for reaching those heights.
‘Cristiano is wonderful. He has got the timing to get into the penalty box, ability on two-feet and you’d never associate this winger’s magnificent ability on the air. He’s quite similar to old-fashioned centre forward.’
‘There are many things going in his favor for moving ahead and becoming a legend in the game. However, only time will tell what is in store for him.’
