Tears in heaven

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
(Rudyard Kipling, If)

Over this on Wednesday, pause a while all who care for soccer, nay sport. For on that day, a few good men were cut down in the prime of their lives and a team that could have been never was.

If only the British European Airways Flight 609 not tried to take off for a third time, maybe Manchester United would have been European conquerors 10 years before George Best, Dennis Law and Bobby Charlton and their mates were crowned champions. If only Duncan Edwards and six of his teammates not died, Matt Busby would have taken a team harnessed primarily from local talent to the pinnacle of Europe that much earlier.

Busby’s rising from the dead and rebuilding the team is a lesson in never giving up we could all draw strength from. It is a lesson which lies at the heart of one of football’s greatest-ever institutions. It is something Manchester United typified again at White Hart Lane on Saturday. Watching Carlos Tevez steal a point when all looked lost, Sir Bobby would have gone home happy that 50 years on, the spirit still lives. One that was sowed in one of modern sport’s greatest tragedies.

Ronaldo's Scorcher

What a goal ! What-ey-goal, screamed the commentator. And why not mate for it was a screamer of an effort by Cristiano Ronaldo. A free-kick in the 13th minute was good enough to deflate Pompey hopes for the rest of the game. It was an amazing free-kick, taken from 30 yards outside the box - Ronaldo rushed to the spot, gathered himself with his legs spread wide - with only one thing in front of him - the goal (I should say not even the goalkeeper, because the ball left him by a couple of yards easily). And then comes the kick - a perfectly taken one, and hits the net in a flash. David James was left absolutely speechless, - the ball totally missed the goal-keeper, swerved the other way. An outstanding goal - beating the wall, the goalkeeper and his own track-record of free-kicks.

Ronaldo's goal against Portsmouth was his 27th for the season fast closing in on the Manchester United record, held by the great George Best - 32. And what goes in favour of Ronaldo, is the number of games he's played so far - just 24. With a great deal of the season left to be played, Ronaldo should re-write the club's record books, as scoring for fun is something he's been upto all season. For Mancunians alike, Ronaldo is perhaps the best signing ever - and since he's committed his future to the Old Trafford club, watch out for more kicks, swerves and not to forget some kinky sporting moments.