Ronaldo may have to adapt to a drop in adulation

There was a moment before Manchester United's opening Premier League game when, briefly, it seemed as though the club might take an extraordinary gamble and bring Cristiano Ronaldo on to the pitch. After all the usual sponsorship announcements and, United being United, the far-too-enthusiastic welcoming of corporate guests from Saudi Arabia, a table was set up, photographers gathered round and the stadium announcer launched into a player-of-the-season presentation with a difference.

It should come as no surprise that Ronaldo was a notable absentee, despite winning all three of the club's first-team awards. Daniel Welbeck received a silver plate for being the outstanding young performer, Richard Eckersley picked up the reserves award and in ordinary circumstances the winner of the player of the season, as well as the goal of the season and players' player of the season, would have been lapping up the applause. Yet a decision had been made that Ronaldo should sit this one out.

It is unclear who made it, or whether Ronaldo had any say about the matter, but the better-safe-than-sorry policy was understandable judging by the observation in one of the fans' publications, that the player's summer dalliance with Real Madrid had left him "totally alienated from any sensibly minded United fan".

If the fanzines are an accurate representation then it is fair to say Ronaldo is being viewed in a much different light and that, to some, the damage might be irreversible. Red News's editorial describes the man who scored 42 goals last season as "a 23-year-old prima donna". Red Issue's columnists are more acerbic, one branding him a "conniving little shit", another describing the player's pledge to remain as "meticulously devised, all-round face-saving PR guff masquerading as an interview . . . it's easy to be honest and remorseful after you fail to get away with something. Not trying it on in the first place is the difficult, and praiseworthy, bit."

Football fans are notoriously fickle, of course, and when Ronaldo recovers from his ankle injury - his first game is pencilled in at Blackburn Rovers on October 4 - his goals will be cheered much the same as usual. Or certainly it will look that way to non supporters. Other evidence suggests Ronaldo may have to grow accustomed to the idea of not being afforded the adulation he once received. For starters Viva Ronaldo, the anthem of last season, has been adapted to Viva John Terry so that it no longer pays homage to United's No7 but mocks the Chelsea captain for his penalty miss in the European Cup final. When the Ronaldo version was aired in a pub before Sunday's 1-1 draw with Newcastle, it was drowned out with boos and other songs.

What cannot be disputed is that the team are missing Ronaldo at a time when injuries, Nani's suspension, Anderson's Olympics duty, Carlos Tevez's compassionate leave and the Dimitar Berbatov saga have left Ferguson with depleted resources. Ronaldo does not browse the messageboards or subscribe to fanzines but he might have noted there was not the usual rush of autograph hunters when he took his seat. Most simply stared.

Yesterday a member of staff in the Megastore confirmed that there had been a sharp drop in the numbers wanting Ronaldo on the back of their shirts, the most popular name now being Rooney. As Red Issue sums it up: "He [Ronaldo] may be young enough to be forgiven but he's old enough to have known better."