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Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo Honours & Awards
Team Honours: FA Cup (1), League Cup (1)
Personal awards: Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year 2004, Goal of the Season 2005/06
Ronaldo collected his first winners’ medal with United in the 2004 FA Cup final against Millwall in the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. He opened the scoring for the Reds with a 44th minute header and tormented the Lion’s all afternoon in a 3-0 win.
The Portuguese live-wire collected his second winners’ medal of his United career in the 2006 Carling Cup final. Ronny netted the Reds’ third – a firmly hit right
foot shot – in an emphatic 4-0 victory over Wigan Athletic in Cardiff.
Ronaldo’s reward for a brilliant first season at Old Trafford was to be voted the Sir Matt Busby Player of Year by United fans. His wing play and trickery had impressed all season, but it was in the latter half of the campaign that he really came alive, as typified by his FA Cup final display.
A thunderous strike against Portsmouth at Fratton Park in February 2006 saw the Portuguese starlet win the club’s inaugural Goal of the Season award. Supporters voted his 25-yard hit past Dean Kiely as the season’s stand out goal.
Personal awards: Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year 2004, Goal of the Season 2005/06
Ronaldo collected his first winners’ medal with United in the 2004 FA Cup final against Millwall in the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. He opened the scoring for the Reds with a 44th minute header and tormented the Lion’s all afternoon in a 3-0 win.
The Portuguese live-wire collected his second winners’ medal of his United career in the 2006 Carling Cup final. Ronny netted the Reds’ third – a firmly hit right
foot shot – in an emphatic 4-0 victory over Wigan Athletic in Cardiff.
Ronaldo’s reward for a brilliant first season at Old Trafford was to be voted the Sir Matt Busby Player of Year by United fans. His wing play and trickery had impressed all season, but it was in the latter half of the campaign that he really came alive, as typified by his FA Cup final display.
A thunderous strike against Portsmouth at Fratton Park in February 2006 saw the Portuguese starlet win the club’s inaugural Goal of the Season award. Supporters voted his 25-yard hit past Dean Kiely as the season’s stand out goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo has just about exhausted all superlatives
Signed as a largely unknown 18-year-old for £12.24m, the story goes that Sir Alex was persuaded to sign him by his players on the plane home from a pre-season friendly against Sporting that summer. In truth, the boss had long been aware of his ability. The urgency to sign him stemmed from interest from other top European clubs. This was a target Sir Alex simply
couldn’t let slip through the net.
Ronaldo wasted little time in showing off his sublime skills with a stunning 30-minute debut against Bolton at Old Trafford in August 2003. After 39 appearances and eight goals – including the opener in the FA Cup final win over Millwall – he was named the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year for 2003/04. His second season never quite lived up to his first. But some late season form saw him end the 2004/05 campaign with nine goals in 50 appearances. In 2005/06 Ronny again reserved his best form for the latter half of the season.
Then came the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.
Carlos Tevez Saves Manchester United
French League champions Lyon took the lead in a close, competitive match and looked on course for a shock win before Tevez intervened with just three minutes to go.
Both sides matched formations, forcing United's Tevez and Lyon's Hatem Benarfa onto the bench as each manager went with one striker flanked by two wingers.
The congested midfield played its role in a tight, though not unattractive, first half.
Lyon had the first set of chances, largely created by Juninho's masterful taking of free-kicks and corners, though only a Rio Ferdinand mis-kick came close to beating Edwin Van der Sar.
United had to wait 25 minutes for their first real chance - a long ball finding Wayne Rooney who flicked the ball past one defender and raced down on Gregory Coupet but the Lyon keeper was parried and cleared his effort.
Spells of pressure from both sides failed to create many more opportunities, forcing United to come out after half-time with a more aggressive attitude.
Despite their intent it was a moment of brilliance from 20-year-old French sensation Karim Benzema that broke the deadlock after 54 minutes.
The striker received the ball just outside the box, spun past the four United defenders around him and drove in a stunning low shot which beat Van der Sar at his near post.
Suddenly United's plan to control possession and wait for a chance was ditched as the Premiership champions threw more men forward and brought on Nani and Tevez 65 minutes in.
Still Lyon held solid, with a disallowed Wayne Rooney goal - correctly ruled offside - and an excellent Cristiano Ronaldo free-kick, well saved by Coupet, being the sum total of United's attacking play.
Yet, in the 87th minute, following a saved Ronaldo effort, Nani's cross from the right was knocked from the back post to the front and Tevez was there to fire home from two yards out.
Lyon's resilience and work-rate deserved some reward but United will feel that their general dominance earned them the draw that they will happily take back to Old trafford for the second leg in a fortnight's time.
source: www.football.co.uk
The Football Association have placed a further block on the Premier League's plans
The FA's hierarchy discussed the plan at a board meeting on Thursday, but reports suggest that they were concerned that the so-called '39th game' would need to be changed fundamentally for it to win approval.
FA chairman, Lord Triesman, told Sky Sports News: "At the moment we have not seen a sustainable plan to which we can agree.
"If the Premier League has things it wants to say about changes or new variants, well then they will come forward.
"But personally, I would prefer it happened sooner rather than later, because I don't want this to drift on particularly as we are to launch our World Cup bid (for 2018).
"In general I think uncertainty is not very helpful if it goes on for any length of time, but that is a matter for them.
"The whole of the process, I think, certainly does require some fresh thinking and some really substantive answers to the questions posed."
source: www.football.co.uk
Sir Alex Ferguson Sure Manchester United will have a better chance
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is expecting a tough test when he takes his side to France for Wednesday's Champions League last 16 first leg encounter against Lyon.
Last season's semi-final exit to AC Milan still rankles with the veteran Scottish manager who believes that experience helped to improve his side.
He told United's official website: "We got the hardest draw in terms of the teams we could have faced, but I think we can navigate it successfully.
"Lyon have won their league for the last six years and they're top again this year, so I expect it to be a tough game.
"Losing to Milan last year really hurt us. We just didn't have the legs. We had a bad injury spell in March, which killed us.
"We'd lost Saha from December, then we lost Mikael Silvestre, Ji-Sung Park, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic. Three of those players didn't play again that season.
"Vidic came back against Milan. It was a gamble, one worth taking. Cristiano Ronaldo was also carrying an ankle injury for that game.
"We were well short of being full-strength, whereas Milan had rested players and were primed for that game. We were unlucky. This year, if we stay fit we'll have a better chance."
source: www.football.co.uk
Cristiano Ronaldo Dazzled Manchester United
The Portugal winger was targeted before kick-off at the Stade Gerland and during the first knockout round tie, in which United fought back from a goal down three minutes from time through substitute Carlos Tevez.
"We reported the matter to UEFA before the game," revealed Ferguson.
"We noticed it in the warm-up and they are aware of it."
Meanwhile, Ferguson was pleased with the fightback and the vital away goal ahead of the return leg at Old trafford in two weeks.
"It was a setback to go behind but it was a fantastic goal and it made life difficult for us," he said, referring to Karim Benzema's 54th minute opener.
"But with attacking options we had on the bench and being 1-0 down, we were always going to make changes.
"Tevez and Nani have improved their chances with us after their performances.
"We are delighted to get a draw. You're never sure a goal is going to come but we managed to get one late on.
"This has given us a good opportunity to qualify.
"I don't think Lyon had that many clear chances. Our goalkeeper has not had a save to make and I didn't feel that threatened."
source: www.football.co.uk
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