HE FALL AND RISE OF RONALDO

THINGS just seemed to go from bad to worse.

As if the heartbreak of losing in the World Cup semi-finals to France wasn't enough, Cristiano Ronaldo returned to England amid a cacophony of jeers and abuse.

England had just been knocked out of the quarter-finals by Ronaldo and company, and Wayne Rooney was sent off for stamping on an opponent.

His wink and cunning smile, right after inciting the referee to show Rooney the red card, left a sour taste in the mouths of England fans.

That wasn't all. There were those untrue rape allegations before that. Then, his father died.

All these in the space of less than a year.

Lesser men would have cracked under such stress. Ronaldo thrived.

He went on to enjoy his best ever campaign last season, playing the best football of his career.

Manchester United narrowly missed out on a Double, winning their first Premiership title since 2003 but narrowly losing in the FA Cup final to Chelsea after extra-time.

Ronaldo also helped his club to the semi-finals of the Champions League, eventually losing their first-leg lead in the return fixture at the San Siro to eventual European club champions AC Milan.

But Ronaldo's contributions on the field, including 23 goals for the Red Devils, were not overlooked.

There was no shortage of famous fans who would gladly name him as the world's best player.

So, it was no surprise that he won the Professional Footballers Association's Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards for last season - the first player to win both awards in the same season since Andy Gray in 1977.

That prompted England and Chelsea captain John Terry, impressed with the way the Portuguese handled the backlash against him after the World Cup Finals, to pay him a tribute.

He said: 'I could watch United just to watch him. He does things no one else in the world is doing at the moment.

'He's the best in the world. At his best, not many people can stop him.'

The 22-year-old Portuguese wizard is comfortable with either foot, mostly used as a winger but also sometimes deployed by Alex Ferguson as a second striker.

He is also known to switch flanks during a match with either Ryan Giggs or Nani just to confuse opponents.

His multiple step-overs are always a delight to watch, but it is actually the speed of his footwork that seems to do the most damage to opponents.

With evergreen Giggs on one wing and Ronaldo on the other, plus the likes of Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney feeding off the supply of crosses and through passes from the wings, United are one of the most fearsome attacking teams in Europe.

The blend of youth and experience in the team also means that this current side still has some way to go before it goes on the wane.

CRITICISM

But one criticism often levelled at Ronaldo - and perhaps justifiably so - has been his tendency to dive in the penalty box.

In a Premier League match against Fulham a fortnight ago, he was booked for what the referee deemed as play-acting, although it must be said that television replays were not conclusive.

Ferguson blasted the official for judging his star player based on Ronaldo's reputation rather than the incident itself.

A week later, Ronaldo did himself no favours. His theatrics in the penalty area earned him a penalty in injury-time, which he converted to secure a 4-1 win over Derby.

There is another downside to the player. He is just as flamboyant off the field as he is on it, as one would expect of a young man reportedly earning £119,000 ($357,000) a week and worth £12.5m.

As recently as August, British tabloids exposed Ronaldo and his Portuguese team-mates, Nani and Anderson, having a romp with five prostitutes at his mansion.

Then again, when footballers are blessed with such talent, they seem to get away with anything, don't they?