Mason Greenwood loves throwing in a stepover to wrong-foot an opposition defender.
The Manchester United starlet told the club’s website it’s his favourite piece of skill.
Greenwood can go either way and get a shot off and sometimes all he needs is the half yard of space the stepover gives him.
And he also shared that he took it from watching clips of former Brazil international Ronaldo.
“My favourite skill move was the stepover and I still use it to this day,” said Greenwood as part of a fan Q&A.
“It’s my favourite skill move. I used to watch the Brazilian Ronaldo, as he would always pull one out on the goalkeepers and defenders.
“I used to practice at the parks and stuff and used to do it in training sessions, then that would lead on to games.
“And, now, it’s just stuck with me, it’s a little skill move that I practice.”
United fans have even cheekily compared Greenwood to Ronaldo on social media in the past, and while he still has a long way to go to match the great man, the way he is looking to learn from him is a positive sign.
The night Ronaldo ripped United apart
Greenwood hadn’t even turned two years old when Ronaldo produced one of the greatest opposing performances Old Trafford has ever seen.
In April 2003, Real Madrid arrived, looking to defend a 3-1 first leg victory in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
United actually won 4-3 on the night, but Ronaldo was unplayable, scoring a stunning hat-trick.
In the first half, he beat Fabian Barthez at his near post before finishing a flowing Madrid move after half time.
He saved the best till last, smashing a long-range strike in to end United’s hopes of progression in a year when the final was actually played at Old Trafford.
Could United have signed Ronaldo?
Ferguson wrote about the prospect of signing Ronaldo in A Will to Win, his diary of the title-winning 1996/97 season, back when he was a Barcelona player.
“Ronaldo’s agent asked me a little while ago if I would be interested in the player,” he wrote. “The agent said that there was no problem.
“There was a clause in his contract which allowed him to move if an offer came in above a certain sum. He told me I wouldn’t even have to talk to the club. I could go straight to the Spanish FA.
“It transpired that the fee would be around $32 million, with a salary of $4 million a year. We are talking here about a £20 million transfer fee plus a pay packet of well over £2 million a year.”
Those numbers were absolutely astronomical for the time. Months before, Alan Shearer’s £15 million move to Newcastle broke the world transfer record.
It’s tempting to wonder how good Ronaldo could have been at United, but Ferguson did well without him, assembling a frightening strikeforce and winning the Treble less than two years later.
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