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An internet discussion page recently asked 'Who was the greatest soccer player of all time?'.

The usual deserving candidates cropped up - Maradonna, Best, Pele, Puskas, di Stefano, Zidane, &co. But a couple of Manchester United fans nominated Christiano Ronaldo - and, to my mind, that was ridiculous.

When Manchester United are not playing well - as in the recent home games against Newcastle United and Portsmouth, and the away game at Lyons - Ronaldo disappears. His head goes down. It is the man on the other wing, Carlos Tevez, who gets the match-turning goal. THEN Ronaldo get two or three, and becomes the 'man of the match'.

Sonny Liston was a very big man when on top. But as soon as a youngster came along who was not frightened of him, Sonny folded. And Ronaldo is too much like him. He adorns a game, adds the flashy flourishes to entertain the crowd, when Manchester United can afford it. He turns wins into big wins. But that's about all. When they have an off-day, he folds, and might as well be substituted.

The great players are those like Jackie Milburn, who sprinted half the length of the field to score at a time when his team had their backs to the wall (1951 F.A. Cup Final). When Bolton Wanderers were coasting to a one-sided 3 - 1 win two years later, Stanley Matthews turned on his magic, and Stanley Mortensen turned it around with his bullets. When England were pressing Argentina for an equalizer in the 1986 World Cup, Diego Maradonna ... well, you know the rest! When Scotland had just missed a match-winning penalty, Paul Gascoigne went the length of the field and single-handedly turned the game on its head (1996). When West Ham were heading to a deserved F.A. Cup Final win in 2006, Liverpool's Gerrard hit a screamer from nowhere. THAT's what great players do. They inspire when their team most needs it. At difficult times, they make the difference.

Ronaldo is undoubtedly a very good player, and I'm not trying to take that away from him. But as an all-time great, he wouldn't get into my top 250. He hasn't the leadership qualities for that.

Learn more about this author, Colin Coulson.
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