Practice makes 'Mr Perfect' out of Ronaldo

By rights, the 25-yard free kick that cleared Portsmouth's defensive wall at Old Trafford was struck with such venom that it should have ended up giving somebody in K Stand a nasty headache.

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Top technique: Ronaldo shows his free-kick skills

Instead, it stayed low enough to rip into the top left-hand corner of David James' goal. No wonder the bemused England goalkeeper shrugged in despair. You cannot stop the unstoppable.

Now Jose Mourinho has abdicated, the former Chelsea manager's self-awarded title can rest comfortably on other Portuguese shoulders as the genuine Special One excels and improves.

'That without doubt must be the best I've seen in the Premier League,' agreed Sir Alex Ferguson without too much prompting. 'It was a marvellous hit by Cristiano.'

'Maybe my best,' said a Ronaldo who clearly intends to keep searching for the 'Perfect Kick'.

Manchester United's deadliest dead-ball specialist of modern times? Manager Ferguson has been blessed in that department in the course of collecting nine Premier League trophies.

Ryan Giggs, Eric Cantona and David Beckham spring to mind. 'He was pretty good,' conceded Sir Alex of the England captain whose free kick against Greece saved a nation's face. Ronaldo's prowess, confirmed in remarkable fashion in midweek, outshines them all.

But how does he do it? Football's debating societies and supporters' internet chat lines all examine the evidence and scientific theory vies with good old God-given ability to explain the Ronaldo effect.

Does the new-style ball help? Nike's official Premier League ball has a layer of compressed nitrogen foam beneath the surface that aids acceleration when struck.

Is it his new, state-of-the-art boots? Ronaldo changed into them during the 6-0 Newcastle romp and has now scored eight goals in three and a half games. Designed for speed, say Nike.

Could he have hit upon the secret of striking where the valve sits to get more dip, as some believe?

University of Manchester professor Robin Marshall said: 'It's intrinsic skill combined with exploiting chaos. When it's turbulent, imperfections in the ball will come into play, you can't predict the outcome. The ball isn't a perfect sphere, it will do funny things, but I yelled out in amazement when he scored. There was no spin. Gravity and the ball's imperfections brought it down and to the right.'

'All that stuff about hitting the ball in a certain spot in a certain way,' says Ferguson, laughing 'There's no secret. The important thing is practice. It makes perfect, as I was taught in school. The boy practises every day, that's the reason he's so good. We go for a cup of tea and leave him to it.

'He practises all the time, 20 or 25 minutes after training, there he is with the balls. Wall up, bang, bang, bang, bang. He takes about 30 kicks every day, so . . .'

Go figure, as United's American owners might say. Ability plus discipline equals football genius?

Ronaldo's position as he strikes the ball is unique, reveals Matt Le Tissier, a spectacular free-kick specialists with Southampton and England. Now a Sky Sports analyst, Le Tissier said: 'He's worked very hard at his technique and he cuts across the ball. But his body weight and shape are also very different to anyone else's.

'His weight is far further forward than usual when he hits the ball, and that's what gives him the pace and the dip. There's nobody to match him. When he hit that one I just thought "Wow!" You could have had three keepers, it would still have gone in. And he's got years ahead of him to perfect those kicks which is a frightening thought for the rest of the Premier League.'