Some football fans online were quick to draw comparisons with Lionel Messi after learning about the incredible feat Cristiano Ronaldo achieved at the age of 22.
According to Squawka, Ronaldo is the only player to have won the following awards in the same season:
- PFA Team of the Year
- PFA Players’ Player of the Year
- PFA Young Player of the Year
- PFA Fans’ Player of the Year
- FWA Footballer of the Year
- PL Player of the Season
The Portuguese legend did so in the 2006-07 season when he was at Manchester United. He scored 23 goals and laid out 14 assists in 53 games across competitions that campaign, winning the Premier League title.
Manchester United also reached the FA Cup final that season but lost to Chelsea in the final by a 1-0 scoreline. They made the UEFA Champions League semi-finals before being bested by eventual winners AC Milan (5-3 agg.).
Upon discovering this particular statistic, fans took to social media to express their opinion. One seemingly referred to Eden Hazard’s recent claim that Ronaldo wasn’t a better footballer than him in terms of ‘pure football‘ ability, and wrote:
“Hazard really compared himself to this.”
Another added:
“How is Messi even better?”
Here are a few other reactions from football fans, as found on X (formerly Twitter(:
Ronaldo ultimately left Manchester United for Real Madrid in a transfer worth €94 million in the summer of 2009. He returned to Old Trafford in 2021 but left midway through the 2021-22 season after a public fall-out with manager Erik ten Hag.
A brief look at Cristiano Ronaldo’s first Manchester United spell
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Manchester United in the summer of 2003 from Sporting CP for €19 million. He spent six seasons at the club, winning 10 trophies, including the Premier League (x3) and the UEFA Champions League.
Ronaldo played in 292 senior club games during that stint, scoring 118 goals and laying out 59 assists. Apart from the aforementioned titles, he also won the English League Cup (x2), the FA Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the FA Community Shield (x2).
Ronaldo won the Premier League ‘Player of the Season’ twice, won the league’s Golden Boot once (2007-08), and was named in the PFA ‘Team of the Year’ four times. His return to Old Trafford paled in comparison to his first stint, to say the least.
Ronaldo won no trophies on his return and left the club by mutual consent in November 2022 after scoring 27 goals in 54 games across competitions.
Thank You!