Pommie luck for Ronaldo the difference
December 2nd 2008 23:06
Cristiano Ronaldo is the European player of the year and deservedly so. The award, which is cast by French magazine 'France Football' honours the achievements of an individual player made in the previous year.
Ronaldo certainly achieved a lot and was rightfully light-years ahead of his competition in terms of the results he garnered last season for Manchester United.
The Portuguese footballer scored 42 goals for the 'Red Devil's' last year to finish top scorer in the English Premier League.
Not to mention he also helped United win the Premier League despite the desperate efforts from heavyweight rivals Chelsea.
But the defining moment in his career so far, not to mention the key result that swayed France Football voters, was the Champions League final in Moscow against Chelsea.
Ronaldo scored the first goal courtesy of a powerful header that put United in the lead.
Chelsea however equalised and the match went to penalties.
It was here that Ronaldo's seemingly perfect season was nearly lost.
Displaying cold feet, Ronaldo took the worst penalty possible to hand Chelsea a firm grip on the Champions League trophy.
At that moment in time, Ronaldo's dream season suddenly turned into a nightmare he would rather forget.
The 42 goals meant nothing when Chelsea goalkeeper Peter Cech parried Ronaldo's shot away.
Although football journalists across the globe had the final say, John Terry is the man responsible for giving Ronaldo his famed 'Ballon De Or' award.
Terry’s missed penalty cost Chelsea the Champions League trophy and ensured Ronaldo would be honoured for his efforts on the pitch.
If Terry would have scored that penalty, Chelsea would be the rulers of Europe and the likes of Lionel Messi and Fernando Torres would have fancied themselves nicely for the Ballon De Or.
Messi in particular could count on his semi-final performance against United in the Champions League last season as the key component for possible glory.
His match up against Ronaldo was eagerly awaited for some time by many fans and experts for that matter.
Messi dominated for Barcelona in both legs and cast Ronaldo aside with relative ease. Only a superb strike from Paul Scholes gave United victory in the end.
And despite his best efforts, Messi was left with nothing while Ronaldo had two tournaments under his belt.
But if it wasn't for the efforts of two key Englishmen, Ronaldo could have really ended up empty handed himself.
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