Number 19 : Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo is not the most successful player of our day . But he is probably the most complete : a dribbler , goalscorer , and strongman all in one .
At just 18 years old , in an exhibition game with Sporting Lisbon against Manchester United , the boy from the island of Madeira impressed his opponents so thoroughly that on the flight home several of them persuaded Alex Ferguson to sign him . Cristiano had already agreed to join Arsenal , but United offered more . That summer of 2003 , the Portuguese kid -- skinny , quick to cry -- looked an inadequate replacement for the departing David Beckham . Pretty soon , United ’ s new No . 7 had consigned Becks to history . Aged 19 , Cristiano very nearly won Euro 2004 with Portugal , but lost the final to Greece .
In Manchester , first as a winger and later as a striker , he racked up the prizes : three straight league titles from 2007 through 2009 , and the Champions League in 2008 . That night in Moscow he scored United ’ s only goal with a header , but missed his penalty in the shootout .