Mad Brit Diary

More than enough Ronaldos to go around.

(Saturday, August 23, 2003) -- O Ronaldo, Ronaldo! Wherefore art thou Ronaldo.

Well, just about everywhere these days.There's Ronaldo at Real Madrid, Ronaldo Gutaro at Besiktas (Turkey), Ronaldo Maczinski at Maritimo (Portugal), Ronaldinho at Barcelona and at least a half-dozen Ronaldos playing in Brazil.

Now comes Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, or, as he likes to be called, Cristiano Ronaldo, the new teen sensation that Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson just snatched up. It seems like the Mad Scotsman has done it again. This new Ronaldo could be the bargain of the decade.

The Mad Brit is scratching his head wondering how Ferguson does it (we won't mention Juan Veron will we?). Just a month after he signed Tim Howard from the MetroStars in a brilliant move, Ferguson is at it again, splurging out $19.7 million for a Portuguese youngster who barely has a professional season under his belt. Did you hear that -- $19 million? That's more than all the player salaries in America's Major League Soccer.

A big risk, you might say, but Ferguson does seem to have the Midas touch. Cristiano Ronaldo is now the most expensive teenager in British soccer history and United's fifth biggest buy. Ronaldo made his debut for United in the last 30 minutes of the club's league-opener against Bolton last week and was heavily involved in the 4-0 victory. Three goals were scored after the 18-year-old replaced Nicky Butt and began dazzling the 67,000-plus Old Trafford faithful.

Some Mad Brits are already calling him the next Alan Shearer of the English Premier League. Ferguson has so much confidence in the lad that he gave Ronaldo the sacred No. 7 shirt that had been worn in the past by greats such as David Beckham, Eric Cantona, Bryan Robson and George Best. The kid sure has big shoes to fill. The plan was to keep the young Ronaldo at Sporting Lisbon in Portugal for another year to learn the ropes more, but Ferguson sent out his spies to catch the youngster early. These days, with super clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and dare we say -- cashed-loaded Chelsea, you have to do these deals quick.

Ronaldo is a big 6-foot, two-footed player, brave and quick, with good close ball control. Against Bolton, he showed he could do everything -- cross from both wings, send in a curling free kick and dodge those nasty tackles. The British press, in full hyperbole gear, are already raving over him and comparing him to Ryan Giggs and Best. The Portuguese star does drip with confidence and shines with self belief. Maybe he is the real deal.

Ronaldo's story is a classic. He was born on the idyllic island of Madeira that lies hundreds of miles south of Portugal in the North Atlantic Ocean. He was raised in a tin shack in Funchal, the main city on the island. His dad was the equipment coach of the local team Andorinha, and Ronaldo played for the youth team on an artificial pitch. Maritimo, one of the big clubs on the island, offered Andorinha $270 for the lad, but instead he joined the island's biggest team, Nacional, for two years worth of boots and jerseys.

Ronaldo showed so much talent that, at the age of 12, he was brought to Sporting Lisbon in the nation's capital 600 miles away, where he has lived until his move to Manchester. In Lisbon, he attended the same soccer academy that had produced the great Luis Figo. It will be interesting to see how the youngster will do against the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle. How will he stand up to the bruising tackles of life in the EPL, week in and week out? And get this, his favorite player is Arsenal's Thierry Henry, the man Ferguson loves to hate.

As far as his pro career goes, Ronaldo only played in 23 matches in the Portuguese league, scoring three goals. Apparently he caught the attention of the United's scouts at the Toulon under-20 tournament last summer. But the man who put Ronaldo on Ferguson's radar screen was then-assistant coach Carlos Queiroz -- now Real Madrid's coach -- who sold Ferguson on the wonderkid.

Another big question is whether Ronaldo can deal with all the stardom. He has already hitched up with a super model, Jordana Jardel, the 17-year-old sister of Sporting Lisbon's former striker Mario Jardel. (Jardel recently joined the foreign legion at Bolton.) Ronaldo already owns mansions in the Lisbon area.

Eusebio, who played for Benfica and was the 1965 European "Player of the Year," was the last really great Portuguese player (sorry Figo) and is raving over the new boy. "English fans love spectacular players like Alan Shearer -- and that is exactly what United have signed in this young guy," Eusebio said. "Cristiano Ronaldo has magic in his boots and I'm delighted he has signed for Manchester United because that is my team in England."

Ronaldo is likely to be helped by United's other recent signing, Brazilian midfielder Kleberson. Apart from a big fat percentage of the transfer fee, Ronaldo also earned his first call-up from Portugal's national team this week for an exhibition against Kazakstan. The EPL now has three up-and-coming Portuguese stars in Ronaldo, Newcastle's United's signed Hugo Viana, 20, for $13.4 million last year and Tottenham recently Helder Postiga, 20, for $10.2 million. The Mad Brit will be watching closely to see if these kids are worth the money and produce.

So, who else will Manchester United snatch up? Will The Reds go after 14-year-old American Freddy Adu? The Mad Brit predicts, Freddy Adu will be at Manchester United's youth academy by the end of the year and be loaned back to MLS for a couple of seasons. As for the Ronaldo trade, at least it will take off some of the pressure from Howard. All 67,000-plus fans will be watching closely what the Portuguese star will be doing for the moment. Let's just hope this is the last player called Ronaldo for a while. Why can't they just call themselves Ron, which in old-English means "run," or run fast, say after a soccer riot.

Don Sabia writes: Hey Mad Brit, I stumbled across one of your articles last week and I am quite happy that I have a source to keep up with Americans in Europe. As a long-time soccer fan, I find that your perspective is refreshing. I lived in Italy and Australia in the '90s, where I had to put up with English fans, but the coverage of the English Premier League was great in both places. It was also when John Harkes was starting to break the barrier for American players in the EPL. When he played for Sheffield Wednesday, I clearly remember his "Goal of the Week" against Peter Shilton.

"Now there are American "stars" in the EPL? It is good to see that we have come along, though the road ahead is still long. Hope that you keep up your coverage of American players abroad. In my "small" town in Florida, coverage of soccer is nonexistent.

Tom Doebler writes: "Mad Brit. though I don't always agree with you, I enjoy your columns. Regarding Mr. David Beckham, it was interesting to read that more people were outraged in the fact that Ferguson sold Juan Veron than they were about selling Beckham. So, that tells you that Beckham wasn't nearly as important as some would like to think. Ryan Giggs has taken over the free-kick duties and scored spectacular goals in the USA preseason tour and on opening day.

"It was ironic to read 'Giggs can bend it like Beckham as well." The funny thing about this is that it was Giggs who was taking the free kicks before Beckham showed up on the club level scene. Reading the game reports, it looks like Cristiano Ronaldo (no, not that one), but Man. Utd's new signing, will make people forget both Beckham and Veron sooner than they thought.

Doug Kieffer says: "MB, the big talk here (Chicago) is that DaMarcus Beasley is talking with one or more teams in Spain. Some scouts from Spain came to Naperville for his first game after the Confederations Cup and he's been in serious talks with them. As for Bobby Convey, that surprised me. Maybe the D.C. folks have heard rumblings about that, but I had not. But, as I said in my original note, I don't get the buzz about Beasley. When he initially signed with the team, I smelled promise. But, it's completely unrealized. I didn't see the Brazil game where he got "Man of the Match," but I've seen nothing special for club or country. Even in the Mexico game in Houston, where he was named top guy.

"I just didn't get it. He's too frail to take any kind of hit. But, ironically, he pulls and tugs as much as any player I've seen. He can rarely beat a defender one-on-one and when he takes off on an unchallenged run, the ball tends to get a way from him and goes out-of-bounds or is intercepted. Occasionally, he'll make a decent probing pas,s but more often I notice that his passes are backward or hit to someone who is heavily marked and, thus, hard to control."

Joe Buitron says: "Mr. Brit, Tim Howard has some big shoes to fill. American keepers in Europe have been no surprise. Now we have Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel, but it all started way back in WWII with a keeper who played for the Allied Prisoner of War team. You know his name, he went by Hatch (played by Sly Stallone in the movie Victory)."

Chris M. Dirtskien says: "I fully agree with the writer who said that Bobby Convey wasn't very good. Arena has been looking for his 'place on the field' all year and he hasn't done much at all. His touches have been horrible and needs to prove himself much more in MLS before getting back with the national team. He's had his chance and has yet to impress anyone. Give a guy like Kyle Martino a shot rather than wasting time on a player who hasn't done anything with his 'potential.' "

Chaney Kestenbaum says: "Mad Brit, I love to read your columns. I have watched Bobby Convey since he was 16, and despite his high work rate, we D.C. United fans were frustrated by his poor first touch and his inaccuracy in shooting (this afflicts Brazilians, Brits and everyone else so why not Convey?). But recently (now at age 20), I have noticed a maturity and confidence about him that augurs well for his chances in the Premiership. He has the pace and the heart to play at that level -- now he needs the daily exposure to build the confidence. Let's see how far he gets in the next two years. If he can discover that elusive scoring touch, he will make a real impact. If not, back to MLS."

Heard a rumor, have a gripe or a tip? Feeling lonely? E-mail the Mad Brit at themadbrit3@aol.com.