Originally Posted by Pogue Mahone

Yes it can.

Ronaldo was born with tremendous natural ability but he wouldn't be half the player he is now if he didn't work his bollox off in training, week in, week out.

This whole argument is going round in circles.

Put it this way, I don't know if any of you ever get the chance to talk to professional athletes (who play any sport) but if you do, ask them if they think there's a single element of their game that doesn't respond to hard work in training?

Every elite athlete has only reached the levels they did because they work at their game and constantly seek to improve in everything they do. And if they don't constantly improve their game they will get left behind.

What's really amazing is when you get players who reach phenomenal heights without ever really grafting. Cause that poses the question of just how good they could have been with the right amount of application?

I always think of George Best when Fergie mentions the amount of work that Ronaldo and Rooney put in training. People are already comparing Ronaldo to best but if Best had trained as hard as modern footballers (or even as hard as his more dedicated peers) there would be no comparison and he would be head and shoulders the best footballer to have ever walked the planet. By a country mile.