Lineker wrote in his column for the Sunday Telegraph: “There are few players who I would watch going through the paces of their pre-match routine. But Ronaldo is not any old player: it is captivating to watch him work his way through his repertoire of tricks, flicks and skills. What is amazing is the speed at which he does it all. It’s as if he needs the warm-up to get all his components calibrated for the superhuman feats that await. Watching him this season I’ve witnessed acts of manipulation of a football that verge on the physically impossible.
“Ronaldo is still young at 22, but I believe that if he continues on this trajectory of development, he could become one of the greatest players ever. He has been unbelievable this season: he has turned from an exciting but flawed performer into a player who is impossible to defend against. He was accused in the past of being addicted to the step-over; now every decision he makes is the right one.
“To put it bluntly, he has absolutely everything. His technique is remarkable, a truly sublime talent, but allied to that is an extraordinary ability to operate at high speed. He does not seem to slow up when he receives the ball and can perform his array of tricks at full sprint.”
