Cristiano Ronaldo Will be Recognized as the World's Best Player

Alex Ferguson believes it won't be long before Cristiano Ronaldo will be recognized as the world's best player. Carlos Queiroz says he will be soccer's equivalent of Michael Jordan.

As Ronaldo's manager and chief coach at Manchester United, it's easy for them to lavish the Portuguese star with praise. But the rest of us are waiting to see Ronaldo produce something special in a game that means something. Maybe then Ronaldo would be able to shove aside the likes of AC Milan's Kaka or FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho to get his hands on the top awards. Kaka scooped all the big awards in 2007 and few people, even fans of Ronaldo, would argue.

The two legs of a Champions League semifinal against AC Milan. Portugal's World Cup semifinal match against France. Even last season's FA Cup final against Chelsea. Ronaldo didn't exactly set those games alight.

Kaka and Ronaldinho have something Ronaldo doesn't: Champions League winners medals. They triumphed in the finals of European soccer's most prestigious club competition with Milan and Barcelona, and Messi would have collected one too if he had been fit for the 2006 final. Ronaldo's club hasn't won it since 1999 and hasn't made it past the semifinal stage since then.

Ronaldo scored one of his trademark long-range strikes and coolly stroked home a penalty for United's 2-1 victory over Everton on Sunday which kept the Red Devils within a point of Arsenal in the Premier League title race.
source: hindustantimes.com