From The Touchlines

Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo (left) grabbed another accolade yesterday, when he came out tops in ESPN and Star Sports’ EPL Celebration: Asia Decides as the best English Premier League player this season.

In a two-hour SMS competition running across Asia, Ronaldo came out ahead of Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard with 35 per cent of the votes, with the Reds skipper at 33 per cent.

The other players to make the top six were Chelsea’s Didier Drogba (24 per cent), Liverpool’s Peter Crouch (4 per cent) and United’s Nemanja Vidic and Edwin van der Sar with 2 per cent each.

van der Sar also scored as the best goalkeeper in the EPL this season, with Ronaldo and Gerrard the best midfielders, Vidic the best defender and Golden Boot winner Drogba as the best striker.

Crouch, who has had an indifferent season making 19 starts and starting another 13 on the bench, was the best wildcard.

A fantastic season for Ronaldo to say the least, after strong criticism over his role in Wayne Rooney’s sending off in the World Cup nearly led to his departure from the club.

But a smart decision by the Portuguese stalwart has reaped rewards for himself as well as his club with the Premiership title victory, and he himself sweeping up three awards after turning a turbulent off-season on its head.

It will definitely take a hell lot more to pry this exciting youngster from the Theater of Dreams, as Real Madrid have seen for themselves this season.

Ronaldo’s role in United’s scintillating 7-1 mauling of AS Roma is just one of the many highlights of a memorable season for the player, capping it off with 23 goals – eight more than manager Sir Alex Ferguson had predicted.

With age on his side, Ronaldo’s growing maturity along with his insatiable appetite to go out and win games will definitely be a plus point for United as they look to defend their title in the 2007/08 season.

Oh, let’s not forget his trademark runs and stepovers too.

Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo (left) may come across as one of the most talented footballers on the face of this earth with looks to die for, but many of you (myself included) do not know how much he went through, the distance he has travelled, to be where he is today.

Thanks to a fellow Red Devil, who in turn found this article on Ronaldo in ManUtd Sgforums, I now know a different side of Ronaldo. It’s not a Ronaldo with all the stepovers, dazzling his opponents and scoring all-important goals.

This Ronaldo – just like everyone of us – overcame adversity to be where he is today, where he wants to be and is meant to be.

A mama’s boy, nonetheless. And a favourite sibling.

P/s: I don’t usually copy and paste articles onto my blog, but this one is worth reading. Have a nice read.

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How Ronaldo fought street gangs, loneliness and heartache to become a £50 million global star.

The streets of Lisbon will be empty tonight. In Porto, Braga and Setubal the story will be the same. Football fans will venture out only if their local bar boasts a decent television set. Families will stay at home, forsaking the joys of a Sunday evening in springtime to sit indoors and watch a TV documentary. The object of their attention will be a man who, at the tender age of 22, has become a national treasure.

For its subject, Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, the broadcast of a documentary recording his rags-to-riches story marks the start of the proudest week of his life, a week in which he will be crowned England’s Footballer of the Year and play for Manchester United against Chelsea in the first FA Cup Final at the new Wembley on Saturday. For six months, the makers of Planeta Ronaldo followed United’s iconic No 7 to film a unique insight into his life. The result is a documentary that touches not only on the high points of Ronaldo’s career, drawing praise for him from a cast list including Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Wayne Rooney, but also on the setbacks Ronaldo has faced in his mission to become the best player in the world.

Throughout his career, “that boy Ronaldo” — as United fans call him — has overcome challenges that would have seen off lesser men. As a tearful and frightened 12-year-old, he had to leave his home island of Madeira to travel hundreds of miles to follow his dream, fighting loneliness, prejudice and even street robbers along the way. His talent made him a hit at Sporting Lisbon and a global superstar at United. But there have been torrid times, failing to save his harddrinking father from an early grave and the fears for his safety following the World Cup.

And as Planeta Ronaldo shows, behind the talented feet lies an enormous heart. Today, Ronaldo is valued at £50 million but his story began with a very unusual £15,000 deal. Nacional Madeira owed Sporting Lisbon the money on a journeyman player called Franco and, not wishing to pay it, offered the 12-year old Ronaldo instead. Sporting were sceptical but after five minutes of an impromptu trial, they knew they had a bargain. It meant a huge lifestyle change for Ronaldo, who left his family in Madeira off the north African coast for the bustling Portuguese capital Lisbon.

“It was very traumatic to leave my family,” says Ronaldo in the programme. “I had never even been on an aeroplane before. When I saw my mother crying at the airport, it made me want to cry as well. “There were a lot of tears in my first few weeks in Lisbon. Madeira is so small, I couldn’t believe the traffic and noise of a capital city. About 10 of us lived in a room inside the Sporting Lisbon stadium. “In the beginning, nobody could understand me because of my accent and I couldn’t understand them. I used to call my family whenever I could. I remember buying phone cards and looking at the units go down as I spoke to my parents and brothers and sisters.”

Ronaldo’s trials and tribulations had a menacing side, too. He recalls one incident in particular: “A gang jumped on me and my team-mates in the street. The other players ran away but I stood up and fought — and the robbers didn’t get anything.” And all through his young life’s ordeal, Ronaldo clung to his ambitions. “No matter how bad things got,” he says, “I had this burning dream.” He had to vie for attention with another young star at Sporting called Ricardo Quaresma, but Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, then the coach of Porto, says he could see his talent straight away.

Mourinho tells the programme: “I went to watch Sporting and there was this tall, elegant kid playing up front. I had never heard of him before but my eyes were drawn to him right away. I turned to my assistant and said: ‘Who is this player, he must be the son of Van Basten’. Their styles were so similar. Cristiano has gone on to become a great player.”

It was Sir Alex, however, who gave Ronaldo his big break in 2003, signing the unknown teenager to replace the most famous player on the planet, David Beckham. Ferguson says: “We played Sporting in a friendly and my players came in at half-time and said: ‘Please sign him’. They didn’t know I had already been with the Sporting directors the previous evening to talk about it! “A lot of players wouldn’t want the No 7 shirt worn by Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and Beckham but I knew Cristiano would thrive on it with his confidence and ability. He caused an explosion among our fans from his very first game, when I brought him on against Bolton.

“I’ve had some great players like Bryan Robson and Roy Keane in 20 years at United but Cristiano is the best now in terms of sheer ability and imagination. He has improved so much in two years. That is not by accident, it is because he practises every day and has the desire to get better.” Ronaldo nearly quit the Premiership last year after becoming the victim of a hate campaign following his role in Rooney’s sending-off at the World Cup. Ronaldo initially thought United did not care about him and when Ferguson visited him face-to-face in Portugal, he found the young player genuinely frightened for his safety. In the documentary, Ferguson reveals how Ronaldo was won over.

“I tried to contact Cristiano after the England game but didn’t get any reply,” says Sir Alex. “I thought he wasn’t returning my calls but then found out I’d been using an old number. Cristiano hadn’t got any message from me and might have felt I hadn’t shown any interest in him. “After the tournament David (Gill, chief executive) and myself flew to Val do Lobo on a private plane to see him. “Cristiano had fears about the reaction back in England. I explained that we had gone through the same thing with David Beckham when they were burning effigies of him after the 1998 World Cup. I told him that English people talk more than they actually do anything. They might make a lot of noise but they wouldn’t harm him physically.

“We said he could move house to somewhere in the countryside, more private, and that helped. “He got a lot of boos in his first away game back against Charlton. Then, he beat a man and hit the crossbar with a tremendous shot. They were suddenly silent because they were terrified of what he was doing to their team. I told Cristiano the answer was to quieten the fans with his talent. And he always had the courage to show his talent.” Yet again, Ronaldo took the brave rather than the easy option, staying in Manchester rather than taking up offers from Barcelona and Real Madrid.

“I did think about my future,” he admits. “I asked my friends, family and my agent (Jorge Mendes) what I should do. They all had the same opinion,that I should stay and fight to win the fans in England over. So that’s what I did.” In Rooney, his World Cup sparring partner,he found someone to share the burden of superstardom. They have become the most talked-about combination at United since Best, Law and Charlton and if they hit it off at Wembley on Saturday, there may be little Chelsea can do to stop them.

Rooney rarely gives interviews but wanted to appear on a programme about Ronaldo. “He deserves to be voted World Footballer of the Year and I hope he is,” says Rooney. “He has been booed around the country for various reasons but has shown everyone how good he is. English fans only boo good players so that’s a sign of respect really. I think the supporters are secretly happy he is in the English league. “He has signed a new contract now, although we think part of the deal was to have a mirror in the dressing room so he can look at himself all the time!”

If Ronaldo seals his incredible season with a Wembley goal, you can expect him to glance up at “. The death of his father, Dinis, in 2005 is the one issue that, even now, Ronaldo can only skirt around rather than address directly. In Portugal, it is widely known that Dinis suffered a chronic liver condition due to heavy drinking and Ronaldo, who was very close to his father, invested time and money seeking the best treatment for him. Unlike on the football pitch, it was a battle Ronaldo could not win and in September 2005, while on international duty in Russia, he received the shattering news from Portugal coach Luis Felipe Scolari that his father had died.

Scolari recalls: “I was told first what had happened and knew it was my responsibility to tell Ronaldo. As you can expect, it was a very bad moment. He was heartbroken. “We talked and talked. I spoke quietly about the time I lost my father and as we spoke he calmed down. He decided to play the match against Russia rather than fly back to Portugal immediately. I now think Ronaldo is not just the best player in the world, but the best person, too.”

Millions watching television in Portugal tonight will undoubtedly agree. Family comes first for the boy named after a President. Cristiano Ronaldo has used his fortune and fame to help the people who mean most to him — his mother, Dolores, brother, Hugo, and sisters Elma and Catia. As the Planeta Ronaldo documentary shows, the family are extremely close and Ronaldo has encouraged and helped them since he signed for Manchester United in 2003 and even more so since the death of his father, Dinis, in 2005.

“My mother was a cook who worked hard all her life,” he said. “The first thing I did after signing for United was to call her and say she didn’t have to work ever again.” Catia said: “He is an amazing brother. He calls his family every day and about 30 of us spend Christmas with him in Manchester. “Growing up in Madeira,we had a comfortable home, but it wasn’t big. Cristiano shared a bedroom with Hugo and the two girls shared another bedroom. Now there is plenty of room for everyone, sometimes too much room!

“Cristiano bought me a watch last Christmas but I find it difficult to buy him things because he has them already. He likes simple family presents really, so last time I got him a framed picture of my six-year-old son Rodrigo. He is a very proud uncle!” Ronaldo is the youngest of four and while Catia, 29, is forging a career as a pop singer for herself under the stage-name Ronalda, elder sister Elma is also using her brother’s fame. She is opening a clothes shop in Madeira called CR7, after Ronaldo’s initials and shirt number at United. Hugo, meanwhile, plays lower division football in Madeira.

The one topic Planeta Ronaldo does not touch upon is the subject of the star’s love life. Ronaldo has been linked with a series of women, including Hollyoaks actress Gemma Atkinson and Spanish TV anchorwoman Merche Romero but he has been reluctant to discuss his private life.

Catia also explained why Ronaldo was named. “Ronald Reagan was always in the news at the time he was born and my Dad thought the name sounded a bit different,” she said. “It wasn’t because he had any opinion on if he was a good president — they just liked the name!”

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!: Manchester United players celebrate with their medals and the coveted English Premier League trophy after their match against West Ham United at Old Trafford. West Ham won 1-0 to stay up.

Manchester United were beaten on the final day of the Premiership season by relegation-threatened West Ham United, but that did not stop them from lifting their first trophy in four years in unbridled joy.

Decorated players Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville both lifted the trophy to shouts of joy by the Old Trafford faithful as well as the United players and staff, as bottles of champagnes were popped and sprayed all over.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson got the standing ovation he so clearly deserved, and why not? He has led United to their ninth title in the many years he has held down the fort at Old Trafford.

United are now just two titles behind archrivals Liverpool, who have won 18 league titles.

While matters for United were done and dusted two matches previously, they still had some part to play in who would stay up – and who would taste the bitterness of playing in the Championship.

Ferguson had earlier promised that, with all due respect to the teams embroiled in the relegation battle, he would field his strongest side against a resurgent Hammers.

The Hammers had chalked up six wins in their last eight, and were looking to do the double over United and, at the same time, stay up in the Premiership.

When the team line-ups were revealed, Fergie appeared to have kept his promise – but only just.

Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Patrice Evra, Gabriel Heinze and Edwin van der Sar were the recognisable names on the team sheet, but Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and hotshot winger Cristiano Ronaldo were, surprisingly, left on the bench.

The first 10 minutes of the match was forgettable; it was only after 14 minutes when either side showed any signs of making the match a sensational one.

Norwegian veteran Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Rooney  played wonderful team football – first to set Alan Smith up and after that for Rooney himself – though nothing materialised.

Solskjaer also spurned a close range effort, a sign the Hammers would have to work something out fast before United steamrolled over them.

They have Yossi Benayoun to thank too. The Israeli, on the half hour mark, cleared off from Smith’s goalbound shot, and was again in the right place at the right time to block Kieran Richardson’s rebound.

United defender John O’Shea also had a shot on goal, when he saw his point-blank header superbly tipped over by England international Robert Green.

West Ham were not without their chances, with controversial signing Carlos Tevez having a shot blocked, allegedly, by Wes Brown’s left arm.

But Martin Atkinson was not about to award a penalty.

Tevez was not about to be denied, however, at the stroke of half time. After a nice one-two with Bobby Zamora and a little bit of luck, took the ball past United’s defenders and drove a shot into the far corner of the net, with van der Sar right at his feet.

At Bramall Lane, Wigan Athletic were 2-1 up against Sheffield United and as it stood, Sheffield were the team going down.

Tevez almost doubled his tally after the break, when he somehow slammed a nice pass by Benayoun wide.

Just when the Hammers thought there were strolling to victory, Fergie made a triple substitution – bringing on Giggs, Scholes and Ronaldo for Evra, Carrick and Smith respectively – a potent strikeforce if you ask me.

But the trio did not really have the desired impact, although the switch nearly produced a goal immediately, when Giggs’ freekick was flicked onto Ronaldo by Brown. But the Portuguese stalwart saw his shot cleared.

Rooney then went agonisingly close again as he did the last time; this time he evaded a sea of West Ham defenders, but saw his shot go wide off the far post.

West Ham came close to increasing their lead, with substitute Marlon Harewood hustling past Richardson down the right and playing a pass to Luis Boa Morte who in turn muscled past Brown, only to see his shot hit the post on its way out.

Ronaldo, renowned for his powerful headers, produced one after rising high above the rest, but his header was only just held by Green.

He then dazzled the defenders with his fancy footwork, only to see the effort come to naught with a straight shot that was easily saved.

Green definitely made his presence felt, when he denied Ronaldo again – this time with his body as United pressed on for the equaliser.

There was more drama unfolding on both grounds, with Wigan reduced to 10 men after Lee McCulloch was sent off, and O’Shea denied a penalty after allegedly being brought down by skipper Nigel Reo-Coker.

Visibly upset, Giggs could only fire his shot just wide.

On the other end, van der Sar still had his work cut out for him, as he blocked a slippery shot by Harewood to concede a corner.

Richardson and Scholes came very close to spoiling the Hammers’ party, but it was not to be as Alan Curbishley’s men just held on the final minutes to secure their place in the Premiership next season.

And with Wigan holding up the lead against Sheffield at Bramall Lane, celebrations at Old Trafford was clearly not confined to United alone, as Tevez turned a turbulent season on its head.

But whether he will be staying on for another season is anybody’s guess. As for United, they now shift their focus to securing a Cup double for the fifth time with the FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley.