#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Sporting CP vs Manchester United – Pre-Season Friendly (07/08/2003)
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While there is nothing which suggests animosity at a personal level between the two, the mere mention of Messi always brings along the comparison to another modern day legend Cristiano Ronaldo. The rags to riches story of the Portuguese superstar has inspired millions and has already achieved a status of demi-god.
However, it was not all easy for Ronaldo as he had to work on several aspects of his game to truly become the complete attacker that he is today and it cannot be denied that Sir Alex Fergusson played a crucial role in his development. If there was one game that Ronaldo would look back upon and thank for his success it was Sporting Lisbon’s pre-season friendly against Manchester United.
The occasion was special with Sporting officially opening the gates to their current stadium Estadio Jose Alvalade and if there was one man who lit up the game it was Cristiano. He constantly probed the gritty Manchester United defence and caused them a lot of problems with his pace as well as skill on the ball to help his side beat Manchester United 3-1.
Sir Alex Fergusson who was in attendance as Manchester United’s manager wasted no time in signing whom he described as “one of the most exciting young players” he had ever seen and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Portuguese superstar soon established himself as Europe’s premier attacker and has gone from strength to strength to become one of the most beloved figures in not only Portugal but worldwide.
Negative – Steven Gerrard
Liverpool vs Chelsea – Premier League – (27/04/2014)
If there is one regret that Steven Gerrard will carry with him throughout his life, it would be his inability to win the Premier League title. The England and Liverpool legend came close to winning the title in two seasons, first in 2008-09 and then in 2013-14, and it is perhaps his inability to do so in the latter season that will continue to haunt him.
It was against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea that Liverpool had a chance to strengthen their grip on the title with the season in its final stages. However, the man who had been an inspirational figure in the side’s challenge, tragically slipped in the process of receiving a pass, thus allowing Demba Ba to latch on to the ball and give his side the lead in a crucial tie.
Liverpool were then served a Mourinho masterclass as the Portuguese orchestrated one of the greatest games of his life and subsequently fell short of Manchester City in their pursuit of the title.
In an interview with the Guardian, Gerrard revealed that the ghosts of that slip still haunt him to this day. “There’s not a day that doesn’t go by that I don’t think about what if that didn’t happen. Would things have been different? Would it have turned out different? Maybe it might of, I don’t know,” he said in the interview and we can only feel sorry for the English legend.
