CRIST' THE REDEEMER

Ronaldo suffers rare timing error but Ireland know he is unlikely to repeat the trick

- BY MARK McCADDEN

CRISTIANO Ronaldo showed an unusually poor sense of timing last night as he bounced into the Aviva Stadium press conference room a tad too early.

It’s probably wishful thinking to imagine that he will be similarly untimely with his bursts into the Irish penalty area tonight.

Or that he will be as generous to the Irish defence as he was with his praise for the home support, who he urged, in classic pantomime villain style, not to boo him.

Ronaldo laid on a charm offensive during a rare media appearance ahead of an international game, praising the Irish fans and applauding John O'Shea.

He even described Heimir Hallgrimsson as a “smart guy” when he was told that the Ireland manager had claimed that Ronaldo was “controlling the referee” in the Lisbon clash last month.

Last night we were treated to nice Ronaldo. We can expect a more ruthless version this evening.

For the record, here's what he had to say about the vast majority of those who will be in attendance tonight.

“Very nice” he said, when asked for his thoughts on the Irish supporters. “I really like the fans here. The support they give to the national team, it’s lovely.