Rob Hughes of nytimes.com wrote this about the recent failings of Christiano Ronaldo, the superstar Portuguese midfielder, playing for Manchester United

Ronaldo is not a machine and cannot sustain scintillating performance match after match. But he has to justify his place. It would be a surprise if, behind closed doors, he was not told that it is unacceptable for the world No.1 to be a passenger on a night when the club’s most prized trophy is at stake.

Ronaldo has not been the same player since he won Player of the Year for his 2007-08 play.