MORE PRAISE FOR RONALDO

"He got tackled upfront in the first couple of minutes and I
thought they were going to give him a bit of a tough time.
But his skill and the way he tried to penetrate behind was
incredible. It was a pretty impressive debut.

"As soon as he did the double-lollipop in the corner and
then went past his man, that's the sort of thing that Old
Trafford has loved over the years. The fans like people who
excite them and this lad is certainly exciting, we saw that
in the pre-season game. He's not only exciting, he's got an
end product too. He can produce crosses with his left and
right feet and he wants to get in the box behind people.
That's something that will always cause defenders
nightmares."

Portuguese boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, who won the World Cup
last summer, is equally impressed. Quoted in the Sun he
said:

“Cristiano is young but already he is good enough to play at
any level and achieve whatever he wants if he continues to
work hard. He has the same ambition and desire as Brazil’s
Ronaldo had when he was the same age — and look at him now.
They are different players with different styles but
Cristiano has that technical ability and speed.

“Manchester United is not just a good team for Cristiano . .
. it is the greatest team in the world for him! Alex
Ferguson is the ideal person to push him to his best. He is
in very good hands.”

Portugal skipper Fernando Couto:

“Our objective is to prepare him for the European
Championships — and he is a great addition for the new
generation. He is already showing with his club that he is
an excellent player.

“We are very happy for him to be playing with such a great
club because it is good to be in a different culture and
football atmosphere. You learn a lot more and you improve
more than if you stay stuck in one place.”