On August 6, 2003 an injured Gary Neville was at home watching his Manchester United team-mates playing against Sporting Lisbon in a televised pre-season friendly. The oppositions 18-year-old left winger quickly caught his eye... It was the first time Id seen Cristiano Ronaldo play.He was up against John OShea, who was obviously a good defender; he was strong, he was quick and he knew where to position himself. Sheasy was playing in the position I would normally play - right-back - but I was injured and I was watching the game at home on MUTV.Like Sheasy, Im very aware of how difficult it is to play against certain types of movement. I specifically remember Cristiano making a certain move where he cut inside and ran between OShea and our centre-half. He made this double movement and I remember thinking oh my God. Ronaldo agrees new deal Cristiano Ronaldo agrees new deal with Real Madrid until 2021 Obviously you could see the skill he had on the ball and his natural talent, but these days what you see less and less is players who make runs without the ball in between the full-back and the centre-back. I would say thats possibly the most underrated run of all.Its so difficult for the full-back and centre-back to defend against, as the full-back doesnt know when to pass over the attacker to the centre-back or play offside. The centre-back then could have a decision to make whether to leave him or track the runner. Its a really difficult issue, especially when the ball is in a central area.I remember watching Cristiano make that run between the full-back and centre-back and thinking wow, you dont normally see that from experienced players, never mind a young kid. As Cristiano Ronaldo prepares to face Sporting in the Champions League, we recall the 2003 friendly against Manchester United in the same stadium What a player, I thought. After the match I remember sending a text to my brother, saying we need to sign him and apparently there was a lot of talk about him on the coach after the game.Obviously players should never be involved in signings, but he certainly made everyone sit up and take notice. Id never heard of him and Id never seen him before that night, but there was a huge excitement among the players afterwards.The only other opposition player Ive felt like that about was Louis Saha. I remember playing against him as a centre-back when he was at Fulham and he destroyed me three seasons on the bounce. I was devastated when I had to play against him and I thought weve got to sign him.He was clearly a different type of player to Cristiano, but we spoke about him in the dressing room in the same way. After that game against Sporting Lisbon, there was a great admiration and there was no doubt the players were all talking about Cristiano. Ronaldo scored a 38th hat-trick for Real Madrid as they won 4-1 at Alaves What we didnt realise is that the manager had been dealing with it for a period of time before then. Sir Alex Ferguson signed him shortly afterwards. Cristiano was very raw when he first came to the club; he had a lot of growing up to do and like all young players he needed time to develop.It took a few years for his body to fill out and he needed time to get his decision-making right but you would expect that from a young player. And over two-and-a-half years he became a devastating player, improving himself both physically and mentally.For me, it felt like he matured and became a man after the 2006 World Cup. After that tournament he became a completely different player. Sir Alex greets Cristiano at Man Utds training ground Suddenly he knew when to pass, where to pass and he knew when and where to run. It all seemed to come together at once. That was the time he was getting criticised the most by fans in this country after his famous wink at Wayne Rooney, but I would never criticise him for that. I always felt all was fair in love and war when it comes to the football pitch. As long as it was legal and you were acting within the rules of the game, then a player should try to gain all competitive advantages possible to try and win. Ronaldo tells the story of the time he dazzled Man Utd and Sir Alex Ferguson while playing for Sporting Lisbon in 2003 Ive always said that Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Roy Keane were the three great players I played with over a long period, but for three years from 2006 to 2009, Ronaldo set a standard you can only dream about. It was a magical time when he was playing with Rooney and Carlos Tevez; Ive never seen anything like it. It was amazing to watch and he was the pinnacle of it.After leaving United, he has gone on to become the best player in the world - and I think thats been proven by the Ballon DOr wins.There has long been an argument over who the best player is - Ronaldo or Lionel Messi - and in my mind weve been blessed to have both. I would always favour Cristiano because I played with him, but its almost unfair to say that because both are sensational players. Ballon dOr explainer With FIFA launching their own award, we explain the latest on the Ballon dOr But Ill never forget that game against Sporting Lisbon and the chat among the players when they got back to Manchester. Poor Sheasy was the butt of a lot of jokes for being given a run-around.But I have to be honest, I felt for him. If Id been playing that night hed have done the same to me.Watch #CR7Live tomorrow at 1pm on SkySports.com, Sky Sports Facebook page and on the Soccer AM You Tube Channel. Also See: What Utd saw in Ronaldo Ronaldo agrees new deal Authentic Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. China Jerseys . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. http://www.chinawholesalejerseysnflcheap.com/ . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. Cheap Jerseys Online . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Three teams could make a convincing argument on this Rankings Monday that they deserve the top spot in ESPN.coms weekly power poll.As you know, though, your faithful Committee (of One) does not do ties.So we crunched the numbers in the Power Rankings dungeon all weekend, considered a wide range of possibilities ... and ultimately decided to leave our top three in the same order we had them a week ago.Golden State certainly continues be impressive offensively, having averaged a gaudy 120.7 points per game during its current seven-game winning streak, but the Cleveland Cavaliers and the LA Clippers convinced us they should stay right where they were with their own strong weeks. The Cavaliers improved to 2-0 this season against their Eastern Conference finals foes from Toronto and thumped Detroit to offset a loss at Indiana in which LeBron James was rested.The Clips, meanwhile, continue to lord over the rest of the league with the only double-digit nightly average point margin (+13.7) on the NBA map, which (we presume) makes their home loss to Memphis on ESPN on Wednesday night a tad easier to take.If you disagree with our thinking, thats fine and fair. Such arguments are what the Power Rankings were founded upon. Heres hoping you find more to dissect and discuss throughout our 1-to-30 ladder, with many thanks, as always, going to ESPN Stats & Information and the Elias Sports Bureau -- particularly research ace Micah Adams -- for supplying much of the background data that helps your Committee arrange things.Previous rankings:?Week 4 |?Week 3 |?Week 2 |?Week 1 |?Training camp1.?Cleveland Cavaliers 2016-17 record: 10-2 Previous ranking: 1The Cavs, when theyre in the mood, are a sight to behold. LeBron James is averaging the most taken-for-granted 23, 9 and 8 in NBA history, everyone knows their roles, and suddenly Channing Frye is emerging as more of a contributor than you anticipated. The concern, if you want to manufacture one, remains Clevelands depth. The lack of a seasoned backup point guard is hard to ignore, but we ask again: Who in the East can really make the Cavs pay for that shortcoming?2.?LA Clippers 2016-17 record: 12-2 Previous ranking: 2The Clippers are allowing a ridiculously stingy 91.4 points per 100 possessions when DeAndre Jordan is on the floor compared to 106.1 points per 100 possessions when Jordan is sitting. J.J. Redick has been as hot as any Clipper in the opening month, which is just one more reason these guys are off to a franchise-best unbeaten start on the road at 6-0. Theres too much goodness going on, in other words, to drop the Clips after one narrow misstep at home against Memphis.3.?Golden State Warriors 2016-17 record: 11-2 Previous ranking: 3?The offense is humming now to such a degree -- better ball movement, gorgeous looks galore, Kevin Durant producing with unfair efficiency, Klay Thompson finding his groove -- that its almost a relief Golden State still has plenty to sort out on the defensive end. If the D was anywhere close to this same level in mid-November, with the Warriors up to seven 120-point eruptions already after just three at this same stage last season, hope would be quickly draining away leaguewide.4.?San Antonio Spurs 2016-17 record: 10-3 Previous ranking: 7No team in the league is unbeaten at home. The Spurs, by contrast, are a tidy 7-0 on the road and take a five-game win streak overall into Monday nights reunion with their old friends from Dallas. To the Spurs, whove been able to field their first-choice starting five only four times thanks to Danny Greens lengthy absence, its no accident that the current unbeaten run coincides with a return to the lineup for Tony Parker, still a key steadying hand even with Pop limiting Parker to 25.9 MPG.5.?Atlanta Hawks 2016-17 record: 9-4 Previous ranking: 5The Hawks awoke Sunday ranked No. 1 in defensive efficiency, ninth in PPG allowed and feeling pretty proud of what theyre doing on D because theyre also playing at a top-five pace, which naturally means more possessions to defend. Pride then turned to anger when Atlanta looked so lackluster in a Madison Square Garden matinee defeat to the Knicks, who have actually won four in a row at home but, according to Paul Millsap, shouldnt have caused the trouble they did.6.?Charlotte Hornets 2016-17 record: 8-4 Previous ranking: 6The sting of Saturday nights OT loss in New Orleans has to be lessened somewhat by the home win that Charlotte eked out Atlanta the night before, especially with Nicolas Batum playing a starring role with his best game all season after a somewhat underwhelming start. Otherwise well focus here on what we seem to be focused on here every Monday: Kemba Walkers career-best numbers in just about any category you check in his bid to be Charlottes first All-Star since Gerald Wallace in 2010.7.?Toronto Raptors 2016-17 record: 8-5 Previous ranking: 4Rough weekend for DeMar DeRozan. The mere 12 points he mustered in Sunday nights heartbreaking (and controversial) loss in Sacramento knocked him out of the leagues scoring lead for the first time in 20 days. Now, on the second night of a back-to-back, DeRozan has to deal with the leagues most-feared defense. Hell be trying to join Chicagos Dwyane Wade on this seasons short list of starting shooting guards to crack the 20-point plateau against the Clippers.8.?Chicago Bulls 2016-17 record: 9-5 Previous ranking: 13?Two stops remain on 3-1 Chicagos annual Circus Trip, but it seems safe at this point to just call it the Traveling Jimmy Butler Show. After weeks of good press for DeMar DeRozan and what a summer stint with Team USA did for his game, now its Butlers turn to be feted for the serious step hes taken since getting back from Rio. Surely there was an element of catching Portland and Utah at the right time at work, but the Bulls are still enjoying whats surely been a fun told-you-so opening month.9.?Houston Rockets 2016-17 record: 8-5 Previous ranking: 11?No longer is James Harden averaging 30+ point and 10+ assists. Dare we say you can cut him some slack, though, since this league has only seen three players EVER who averaged 25+ points and 10+ dimes over the course of an entire season: Michael Adams in 1990-91, Tiny Archibald in 1972-73 and the inimitable Oscar Robertson five times. Harden heads into a new week at a robust 28.7 PPG and 12.5 APG, which means hes still nearly doubling his assist norm from last season (7.5 APG).10.?Boston Celtics 2016-17 record: 7-6 Previous ranking: 12?Al Horford and Jae Crowder made such a difference in their long-awaited returns from injury, setting up the Celts to inflict Detroits first home L of the season. Perhaps we should let them settle back in after absences of nine and eight games, respectively, before making too many firm judgments about these guys. Isaiah Thomas, meanwhile, is averaging 26.2 PPG, which would set a new single-season franchise record for a club thats been blessed with 11 Hall of Fame guards.11.?Oklahoma City Thunder 2016-17 record: 8-6 Previous ranking: 9Toronto is leading the league in Sunday misery after the way things finished up in Sacramento, but the Thunder havent exactly enjoyed the occasion, either, after tacking an OT home loss to Indy onto the narrow L in Serge Ibakas OKC homecoming the previous week. What makes this latest defeat even tougher to take: Russell Westbrook was just 3-for-25 in his career on game-tying or go-ahead 3s in the final five seconds of the fourth quarter or OT before the triple he hit that appeared to save the Thunder against the Pacers.12.?Memphis Grizzlies 2016-17 record: 8-5 Previous ranking: 20?All the understandable hoopla surrounding Marc Gasols dagger 3 from the corner to take down the Clippers -- as well as the ensuing celebration were guessing youve heard about by now -- has camouflaged the fact Gasol is shooting just 41.1 percent from the field in the new season compared to a career success rate of .503 coming into 2016-17. There are fresh concerns about Chandler Parsons health, too, but lets not completely ignore Memphis impressive four-game win streak.13.?Utah Jazz 2016-17 record: 7-8 Previous ranking: 8We are big, big fans of Utahs full-time return to the J-note logo and even the sleeved variety of its jersey that got some good national TV exposure last Thursday night when they played host to Chicago. Fashion, however, is suddenly where the compliments start and stop for this Jazz, thanks to a four-game skid in which theyve been exposed as a team that doesnt function nearly as well offensively without new point guard George Hill, who has been shelved for eight straight games thanks to a thumb injury.14.?Portland Trail Blazers 2016-17 record: 8-7 Previous ranking: 10?The Blazers are up to 4-0 now when C.J. McCollum scores 30+ points after Sundays rout of the Nets, but their brilliant backcourt cant cover up all the problems that have cropped up on the boards and on D. Portland awoke Monday ranked 29th in rebound rate and a soberingg 30th in defensive efficiency, backing up Damian Lillards we kind of suck right now assertion.dddddddddddd The Blazers, furthermore, can only claim one win over a team with a winning record (Memphis) at this stage.15.?Indiana Pacers 2016-17 record: 7-7 Previous ranking: 19?If the Pacers indeed have nothing left for Monday nights home date with Golden State, one suspects they wont mind too much. Not after they escaped OKC on Sunday night with precious Road Win No. 1, which Indy achieved without the injured Paul George (or C.J. Miles) and after surviving a triple from Russell Westbrook that forced OT. Cant worry about the Warriors, either, when its not yet clear, on top of all the Pacers ups and downs already, how long PG-13 will be shelved.16.?Miami Heat 2016-17 record: 4-8 Previous ranking: 22?After a couple narrow losses (by seven points combined) to teams with a composite record of 19-7 (San Antonio and Atlanta), Miami welcomed back Goran Dragic and promptly showed some life with a couple wins. Hassan Whiteside, meanwhile,?continues to put up numbers -- against what ESPNs computer ranks as the leagues toughest schedule to date -- that have to make him a legit contender to spend All-Star Weekend in New Orleans if this sort of production persists.17.?Los Angeles Lakers 2016-17 record: 7-7 Previous ranking: 15?You have to believe the Dubs will be ready when Luke Walton makes his return to Golden State on Wednesday. Surely you havent forgotten that the Lakers won the teams last two meetings by a combined 37 points and hounded Steph Curry and Klay Thompson into combined 3-for-38 shooting from long range in those shockers. One would imagine Walton, with his upstart squad starting to come back down to Earth, would rather not have to see the Warriors on either side of Thanksgiving as the schedule requires.18. Minnesota Timberwolves 2016-17 record: 4-8 Previous ranking: 16?The Wolves well-chronicled habit of third-quarter collapses and their offensive struggles in general while Ricky Rubio was out injured make it wholly unfair to suggest Andrew Wiggins inconsistency is the prime culprit in Minnesotas 4-8 start. Theres also no way to ignore it completely when Wiggins has played so much better in the Wolves wins (32.0 PPG, .629 shooting, 5.3 RPG, 4.3 APG, 34.6 PER) compared to their losses (22.5 PPG, .405 shooting, 4.0 RPG, 1.4 APG, 14.2 PER).19.?Detroit Pistons 2016-17 record: 6-8 Previous ranking: 14?The compelling and courageous candor coming regularly from Stan Van Gundy on matters grander than basketball has understandably gotten most of the November attention where the Pistons are concerned. Yet its clear that, on the floor, Detroit is feeling the strain of life without Reggie Jackson more with each passing day. The schedule is about to heap more stress on after this weeks three home dates, too, with nine of 13 games on the road looming for a team thats 1-7 outside of Detroit.20.?New York Knicks 2016-17 record: 6-7 Previous ranking: 26?Phil Jackson offends LeBron James and the two NBA power-brokers whove co-captained Team LeBron for years. Kristaps Porzingis riddles Detroit for 35 points to ever-so-briefly give the Zen Master some relief from the mounting criticism of his reign to date. Then the Knicks, after a team meeting?in Phils presence, beat the Hawks to improve to 6-1 when Derrick Rose scores 15 points or fewer ... compared to 0-6 when D-Rose exceeds 15 points. A wild, wild week, even by MSG standards.21.?New Orleans Pelicans 2016-17 record: 4-10 Previous ranking: 29?The prospect of a three-win week must have felt thoroughly out of reach for the Pelicans during that interminable 0-8 start. Yet its already clear, after just one weekend back-to-back with their point guard back, what a difference Jrue Holiday makes as a steadying force alongside Anthony Davis, who just rumbled for his league-leading fourth game in the last four seasons with at least 35 points, 15 boards and three blocks in Saturday nights 121-116 triumph over Charlotte.22.?Denver Nuggets 2016-17 record: 5-8 Previous ranking: 24?Remember when visiting teams feared the Mile High air of Denver? These Nuggets were the last team in the league, believe it or not, to win a home game this season, finally breaking through in the past week with Ws over Phoenix and Utah to sandwich around an OT loss to Toronto at the Pepsi Center. On the more hopeful side: Emmanuel Mudiay, pestered constantly about his turnover problems, had 23 assists to just five TOs in those three games we mentioned.23.?Orlando Magic 2016-17 record: 6-7 Previous ranking: 21?The Magic sport the leagues third-worst nightly point differential (-7.3), better only than Dallas (-7.4) and Philadelphia (-10.4). Theyre also ranked 28th in offensive efficiency, while not yet nearly as fearsome on D (13th in defensive efficiency) as expected when this group was assembled. You take in all those numbers and inevitably conclude that Orlando has to feel somewhat fortunate to be off to 6-7 start unless thats merely a function of its favorable schedule so far.24.?Milwaukee Bucks 2016-17 record: 5-7 Previous ranking: 17?After the Bucks recent narrow setbacks to Dallas and New Orleans, teams that were struggling hugely when they saw them, Giannis Antetokounmpo & Co. really could have used more than the moral victory they scored Saturday night by throwing another almighty scare into Golden State. Milwaukee has suddenly has lost five of six and needs to take advantage of yet another scheduling break that presents two games each against Orlando and Brooklyn between now and Dec. 3.25.?Sacramento Kings 2016-17 record: 5-9 Previous ranking: 25?The Kings clearly need more Sunday night games against Toronto. Twice this month, Sacramento has lugged a four-game skid into the final hours of the weekend against the Raptors and promptly manufactured a win few expected. Of course, it should also be noted that the Kings have held the Raps under 100 points in both meetings, something theyve managed only twice in their other 12 games. The Kings D (29th overall) shouldnt be so weak when theyre playing at a bottom-five pace.26.?Brooklyn Nets 2016-17 record: 4-9 Previous ranking: 18?If you felt sorry for the Raptors when they had to play host to Golden State on the night after losing at Cleveland, spare a thought for the poor Nets. Theyre the only other team scheduled to play the last two NBA champions on consecutive days this season and right before Christmas to boot. On Dec. 22, Brooklyn plays host to Golden State. On Dec. 23, its Nets at Cavs. Brooklyn, by the way, has plenty of pressing concerns after allowing 127, 124, 124 and 129 points in its last four games, all of them Ls.27.?Washington Wizards 2016-17 record: 3-9 Previous ranking: 27?Ian Mahinmi is back on the practice floor and Markieff Morris appears to have dodged serious injury when he tweaked his ankle in a home loss to Miami. These can be classified as upbeat developments for the Wizards in their current state, which features very little tangible D (25th overall) as confirmed against the Heat, with the Wiz falling short despite the fact it was the first time in their time together that both John Wall and Bradley Beal scored at least 30 points in the same game.28.?Phoenix Suns 2016-17 record: 4-10 Previous ranking: 28?The good: Phoenix snapped a string of 25 consecutive games surrendering 100 points or more with its bench-fueled win at Indiana last week. It was the leagues longest such streak, believe it or not, since Golden States 25-gamer that began late in the 2009-10 season and stretched into the 2010-11 campaign. The problem: Phoenix sandwiched that win, which featured a whopping 78 points from its reserves, with heavy road defeats at Denver and Philly by a combined 31 points.29.?Philadelphia 76ers 2016-17 record: 3-10 Previous ranking: 30?If Joel Embiid lines up Monday night against Hassan Whiteside and the Heat, itll be the 10th NBA game of his career. Of course, even if Embiid doesnt play, hell have made more 3-pointers already -- 10 in 198 minutes -- than Stephen Curry did in his first 10 games as a pro (nine in 277 minutes). And if you think were reaching wildly now for any pro-Embiid stat that our ESPN Stats & Info bro Micah Adams will feed us just because weve been stricken with Embiid Fever ... guilty.30.?Dallas Mavericks 2016-17 record: 2-10 Previous ranking: 23?While its true that theyve played a lot of road games (eight) and even more without Dirk Nowitzki (nine) so far, theres no way to spare the Mavs from the dreaded rankings cellar as currently constituted. The cold reality, with Dirk still out indefinitely, is that Dallas run of 16 consecutive seasons with a record of .500 or better is already in real jeopardy. ESPNs trusty Basketball Power Index says Mark Cuban & Co. have a mere 0.2-percent chance of getting to 41 wins this time. 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