They used to call him the flashy one
Now they call him the dangerous one
Every club that faced United now had one plan
Stop Cristiano
Double team
Foul early
Break his rhythm
It didn't work
He adapted fast
Quicker touches
Smarter runs
Less flair
More sting
He'd draw defenders in
Then cut through with speed like lightning down a wire
Commentators started calling him unstoppable
Fans started chanting his name before kickoff
Defenders stopped trash talking
They just prayed he'd stay on the other wing
But the true sign came from inside
Veterans started listening to him
When he spoke about tactics
They nodded
When he called out sloppy passes
They fixed them
He wasn't the kid anymore
He was becoming the standard
Sir Alex saw it too
One afternoon after training he watched Cristiano walk off the field
Chest up
Back straight
Sweat still dripping
The coach turned to his staff
He's not chasing anyone anymore
They're chasing him
Cristiano kept pushing
More goals
More assists
More minutes
His locker room seat changed too
Now right next to the captain
Symbolic
Earned
But even with all that
He stayed the same after training
Jogging laps
Touch drills
Shooting until the sun dipped
Reporters asked why he still trained like a rookie
Cristiano smiled
Because I'm not chasing trophies
I'm chasing my final form
The league started fearing him
Managers changed formations just to slow him down
Still
He scored
Still
He created
Still
He ran like the game just began
By the end of the season
He wasn't just a rising star
He was the name defenders checked first on the team sheet
And the nightmare they couldn't escape