For once, the leading man fluffed his big line

11 November 2021; Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal in action against Shane Duffy of Republic of Ireland during the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying group A match between Republic of Ireland and Portugal at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

He came, he saw, he shook his head. He winced. He dispensed withering looks like a candy machine and slapped his thighs when a pass went astray or an Irish player dared to make contact.

The abiding image of Cristiano Ronaldo last night, though? Shane Duffy’s ‘chokehold’ obviously but, that aside, it was the trademark, rueful glance that morphs into a half-smile as another chance went begging. You wouldn’t say he fluffed his lines exactly, but his should have been the defining piece of dialogue.

We’d seen the script so many times, not least in Faro in September.

It was midway through the second half when he left terra firma this time, his head meeting André Silva’s cross and sending it on a seemingly inexorable path towards Gavin Bazunu’s goal before excusing itself on the far side of the post.

Ronaldo ran his hands all the way down his face. So did Silva. He had missed his cue.

You could argue that this was the best of both worlds for most of those in the crowd of 50,737. Here was a snapshot of what has made this player great. A frozen, iconic moment of magic as he was suspended in mid-air but without the painful payoff on the scoreboard.

You can give out about people packing the Aviva to watch a pre-season friendly between Premier League clubs. And you can despair at fans buying Ronaldo or Manchester United scarves as they turn a corner onto Lansdowne Road to watch the Boys in Green.

Of course, you can.

None of it alters the reality that Ronaldo is the type of attraction who, like Facebook or Nike, transcends borders. The thousands who booed his every touch here – and his misses - only served to remind us of that fact and solidify his status as star among stars.

His presence at the very top end of the most competitive sport on earth has been relentless across two decades. It has continued regardless of club, or competition, or even the banner proclaiming ‘I believe in Kathryn Mayorga’ that flew over Old Trafford two months ago.

This was the biggest night at the Aviva since Mick McCarthy’s Republic of Ireland hosted Denmark two years earlier, the first full house sign to swing from the gates in Covid times, and another sign of rebirth for Stephen Kenny’s side after the emptiness of his early term.

But it could never be just about the home team. Not with him.

Leave aside the sort of drawing power that makes Ronaldo a hybrid of megastar and black hole that sucks his supporting actors into an inky blackness and this was a rare enough example of a true great landing on these shores when still in his pomp.

Players of the calibre of Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have sprinkled bits of stardust on Dublin soil this last ten years. Christian Eriksen gave a masterclass in that 5-1 win for Denmark.

Go back further, to 2010, and Lionel Messi was leaving the pitch on the hour to a standing ovation on a day when Argentina helped mark the first football international at the stadium. Five years earlier and Thierry Henry produced a millisecond of magic to beat Shay Given.

The temptation is to say that all eyes were on CR7, but that’s not totally true, is it? There was a time when the young Ronaldo was worthy of a 90-minute player cam, when his contributions were littered were stepovers and blizzards of pace.

Not now. He was a non-presence for 89 minutes when Ireland and Portugal met two months ago. Then Stephen Kenny's lads blinked twice and they missed him. This is him now: an A-list actor who only needs seconds of screen time to generate an Oscar buzz.

Most of the evening here he spent doing his own thing. Apparently, the best way to look busy in work is to tuck a sheaf of papers under one arm and adopt a purposeful stride. Ronaldo doesn’t bother with anything like that. He struts only when he has to.

This is the guy who has difficulty staying awake in class but still lands the ‘A’. It’s a form of quasi-hibernation that he has mastered as he passes through his 37th year on the planet and yet continues to defy the ageing process.

He could so easily have made this night his own. Seamus Coleman threw his body in the way of one shot 17 minutes in, there was that header just past the hour, a curler just beyond the other post and an injury-time effort thwarted by Bazunu.

When it was over, one girl vaulted the hoardings and evaded the stewards long enough to reach his orbit, even as she was swallowed up by the high-viz jackets. Her reward was a hug and the jersey off his back. Even then he remained the centre of attention.