“I know I am the best” – the words of Cristiano Ronaldo, speaking to the press, and you can’t help but think that some of the David Beckham ego must have got trapped in that No.7 shirt he so famously wore for so long.

When you’re statistically the best player in not only the Premier League, but also possibly the world, it’s a given that you’re going to develop a bit of an ego. It’s how you manage that ego that makes the difference.

He’s quick on the ball, great off the ball; he has great control and is a prolific goal scorer. He knows he is the best and that is his downfall.

‘... he has to do something fantastic just so they will talk about him in the papers and on Sky Sports News the following day’


If he could learn to play the game without worrying about how many cameras are on him then, yes, he would be the best.

When Ronaldo gets the ball he likes to put on a show. He seems like he has to do something fantastic just so they will talk about him in the papers and on Sky Sports News the following day.

In the penalty shoot-out against Chelsea, I was dreading what was coming as he stepped up to the spot. He could have calmly slotted it home anywhere other than his traditional top left corner but, no, he had to be cocky and do the attention-seeking run, stop and shot – and he missed.

Even in open play it seems like Ronaldo thinks that the team around him are inadequate. How often does he pick up the ball and simply pass it on? Ronaldo will pick up the ball, take three pointless touches, run a little and then pass it on. That kind of showboating, combined with his reputation as being a cheat, is not exactly fitting for “the best”.

Has anyone ever thought of telling him that instead of being a ball-greedy, attention-seeking child he might consider just playing the game with his immense ability? Then fewer fans would want to boo him and he would be held in much higher regard, not only as a wonder kid but as a model professional as well.

His greediness and arrogance could eventually lead to his departure from Old Trafford with Alex Ferguson most definitely not being the type of manager to let an ego overshadow the team.

That at least was the case for the previous occupant of the number No.7 shirt.