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Cristiano Ronaldo belongs to the upper echelons of football, his name right up there with the all-time greats of the game. For the time being though, he enjoys his legendary status in modern football, a game where few have come close to mimicking his accomplishments.
The rise of Cristiano Ronaldo is both an inspiring and daunting tale for which Sir Alex Ferguson will always be given substantial credit. His willingness and urgency to sign the Portuguese after the friendly game between Sporting CP and Manchester United gave this tale the perfect start.
The Red Devils signed a player who had the potential to become the best. But he was also an entertainer who could indulge the crowd for the whole 90 minutes. That latter trait, as we know it now, wasn't appreciated by important first team members at the time.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a market value of €18m in 2004
It was exactly why the obsession with stats, scoring goals and chasing records began that transformed Cristiano Ronaldo into a goalscoring machine. The market, however, was reading things differently and quite evidently there was more remarkable talent in Europe in comparison to the raw Portuguese.
After spending a year in England within the ranks of Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo was deemed an exciting talent. However, there were those considered more valuable. Players who would give more return for the money invested and were closer to being the finished product than the Portuguese was.
Here are five young players who had a higher market value than Cristiano Ronaldo in 2004.
#5 Arjen Robben - €20m
Even though Euro 2004 happened in Portugal, it helped a certain Dutchman to leapfrog Cristiano Ronaldo on the market. Arjen Robben announced himself to the world in style with his exquisite performances in the Netherlands' semi-final run. His two seasons with Eredivisie outfit PSV Eindhoven brought him on to Chelsea's radar, who signed him for €18m.
The 2004-05 season began with the Blues cruising past their opponents game after game. Robben became a central part of Jose Mourinho's attacking philosophy. His verstality was duly exploited by the Portuguese manager, who played him both on the left and right wings.
The 20-year-old's pace, directness and ability to run at defenses was exciting and yielded results. His partnership with fellow wingman Damien Duff became a regular talking point in the 2004-05 Premier League season. The man valued just a little more than Cristiano Ronaldo was quick to enter the limelight.
With Robben's pace, Chelsea had established a killer counter-attacking philosophy that was too good to be prevented on most occasions. It was unfortunate that due to injuries he couldn't play more than half of the Premier League games that season.
The Dutchman still finished with incredible figures of seven goals and nine assists in 18 appearances.
#4 Robinho - €22
Robinho could have been talked about in the same regard as Dani Alves today if it wasn't for his difficult attitude, on and off the pitch. Despite boasting a CV as envious as any, the Brazilian couldn't maintain the high standards expected of him at the top-level.
But there was a time when the hype around Robinho was real, so much so that he was valued over Cristiano Ronaldo. The Brazilian played for the same club that Pele represented, FC Santos. He was primarily a left-winger but completely capable of playing anywhere in the attacking trident.
Between 2003 and 2005, Robinho scored 81 goals in 180 appearances. Though the exaggerated comparisons with Pele were taxing, he continued developing. His work-rate was always questionable, but the flashes of raw talent and the untapped potential, if harnessed carefully, could have made him a beast.
In 2005 Real Madrid came calling and signed Robinho for €24m. After three years in Spain, the forward moved to Manchester City, in the same neighborhood where Cristiano Ronaldo had already captured hearts.
A year later, Cristiano Ronaldo made his big money move to Real Madrid, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Check out Cristiano Ronaldo's movie, Ronaldo, on any online portal.
#3 Fernando Torres - €25m
When Cristiano Ronaldo was more of a winger full of trickery and skill at his disposal, his stats were quite average. It was only in his third season at Manchester United that Cristiano Ronaldo reached double-figure goal contributions in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, a 20-year old Fernando Torres was punching way above his weight and racking goals with effortlessness. Hence, the higher market value for him made absolute sense. It is a popular belief that the Spanish striker, who completed his first spell with Atletico Madrid in 2007 was already a legend in their books by then.
Torres captained Los Rojiblancos at the age of just 19. Where Cristiano Ronaldo was going to take another few seasons to attain a certain maturity, the Spaniard was already leading by example. By 2004, Torres had already left his mark in La Liga, scoring 13 goals in the 2002-03 campaign. He followed it up with a 20 goal haul in 2003-04.
He finished just five goals behind eventual Pichichi winner Ronaldo Nazario's goal tally that season.
#2 Jose Antonio Reyes - €35m
For many, Jose Antonio Reyes is an example of unfulfilled potential, where there was so much that could have been. But there was so little that transpired on-field. In early 2000s, the Spaniard made a name for himself by playing at Sevilla. He wasn't the prolific or talismanic forward that the quoted price would suggest, but Reyes had his own way of shining.
Reyes had a slightly similar style to Cristiano Ronaldo when employed on the wing, but only slightly. The urgency to deliver crosses and make runs behind defenders was becoming more instinctual. His stats were never too overwhelming for Sevilla, but for a young prospect, he was doing pretty well.
Reyes, after his two consecutive eight-goal seasons in La Liga, was signed by Arsenal, as Arsene Wenger described him as one for the future. There were occasions when those in English football believed that Reyes was the Prince of Highbury.
The 2004-05 season was the most prolific of the Spanish forward's club career. He scored 12 goals and provided 13 assists in all competitions. Clearly the market was a shallow predictor when it priced Reyes almost double the price of Cristiano Ronaldo.
#1 Wayne Rooney - €37m
There can't be many surprises at the fact that Wayne Rooney was the most valuable youth prospect in football back in 2004. He was valued at double the price of Cristiano Ronaldo, his teammate from Manchester United. A fundamental reason for that was their playing styles and positions.
Rooney was employed as a centre-forward who was deadly and clinical with his finishing, while the Portuguese was employed on the wing. The English forward had already proven his capabilities in the Premier League during his time at Everton and his short spell with the Red Devils. Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, had a lot of ground to cover in that aspect.
Manchester United paid €37m for the Everton wonderkid who was just 18 at the time. In his very first season with the Red Devils, he showcased that every penny spent was worth it. He scored 17 goals and laid eight assists in 41 appearances.
It can be argued that it was in fact the presence of Rooney and the attention that the English media gave him which motivated Cristiano Ronaldo.
