Manchester United: Who Can Stop Cristiano Ronaldo?

United's 3-1 triumph over a rejuvenated Spurs side was buoyed by Cristiano Ronaldo's brace.  But folks, this was not the first time he’s deployed the strategy.  

This season Fulham, Blackburn, Everton, Spurs, and Wigan have all fallen victim to his double acts.  Whenever United needs someone to bust up a narrowly contested match, they send Ronaldo into the thick of things to snatch all three points for the Red Devils.

Amidst the recent media buzz guessing at his move to Real Madrid, Ronaldo has lost neither focus nor ambition; he has never lost sight of the dreams he made come true at United.  

Still, his move was looking imminent in the summer window when his mom revealed that she wished her son to play for Real before she breathes her last.  And Ronaldo’s mother even fueled the saga, saying that she’s always loathed English football and never expected her son to play for United.

But it seems this footballer will not be derailed from his goals.  There's not even a shadow of a doubt that he will achieve something really immense this season—maybe the league, or the Treble, and in personal terms, FIFA World Player of the Year.

Since United's last gasp win against Everton on December 23rd, Ronaldo has enjoyed a terrific goal scoring spree.  Though he did miss out in scoring against Birmingham, his first hat trick for the club against the Toon made up for that.

Apart from a minor thigh strain—for which he sat out from the loss against Bolton—Ronaldo's fitness level this season has been stupendous.  It's really amazing to see a player week in and week out running like a nutter, scoring goals for fun, and never getting hurt.  He has United's fitness coach to thank, who has made a great endeavor to maintain the fitness levels of the starters.

With 25 goals in 27 games in all competitions, Ronaldo is only seven short of breaking George Best's record of scoring 32 goals in a season as a winger.

As a United fan I can see that he's really an odd guy to be hailed as the regular goalscorer for his team.

There has been a significant diminuendo in Wayne Rooney's goal scoring performances this season; his accuracy and timing haven’t dovetailed much.  But here's the twist—this season United has lost each match in which Rooney did not play.  Even with Ronaldo, United was downed by an upbeat West Ham during the Christmas rounds.

And that's why Ronaldo has heaped praises on Rooney and held him primarily responsible for recent goal scoring opportunities.  Not only his assists, but Rooney’s monumental presence has lifted the team to the top of their game.

My anti-United friends have recently challenged that if Ronaldo is sidelined for at least three or four games, United's title hopes will be shattered.

But, as they have shown on many occasions, United isn’t a one-man team.  Ultimately there will always be a match winner, but if Ronaldo is consistently prepared to cash in the opportunity to score, why pressure Tevez and Rooney to do so?