<DIV id=span_photo> <DIV id=photo_caption_landscape>Cristiano Ronaldo, No. 7, enjoying the reaction of the Manchester United fans and his teammates after scoring at Old Trafford. <NOBR>(Lawrence Looi/European Pressphoto Agency)</NOBR></DIV><DIV><NOBR></NOBR></DIV></DIV><DIV class=logoimage> </DIV><DIV class=headline><SPAN class=headlinetext>Soccer: As Ronaldo rises, Figo can see sunset</SPAN> </DIV><DIV><SPAN class=bylinetext>By Rob Hughes
</SPAN></DIV><DIV class=pubdate><SPAN class=pubdatetext>Tuesday, January 2, 2007</SPAN> </DIV><DIV class=bodytextdiv><DIV class=inlinead><DIV align=center><SCRIPT language=JavaScript type=text/javascript>ord = Math.random() * 10000000000000000;document.write('<script language="JavaScript1.1" src="http://ad.fr.doubleclick.net/adj/sports.iht.com/index;cat=index;dcopt=ist;sz=120x600;ord=' + ord + '?" type="text/javascript"><' + '/' + 'script>');</SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.1 src="http://ad.fr.doubleclick.net/adj/sports.iht.com/index;cat=index;dcopt=ist;sz=120x600;ord=276432825 2826636?" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=VBScript> on error resume next ShockMode = (IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFl ash.5")))</SCRIPT><OBJECT id=banner codeBase="HyperText Transfer Protocol//download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=5,0,0,0" height=600 width=120 classid=clsid27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000><PARAM NAME="_cx" VALUE="3175"><PARAM NAME="_cy" VALUE="15875"><PARAM NAME="FlashVars" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="Movie" VALUE="http://m.fr.2mdn.net/518758/morepost_iht_120x600.swf?clickTag=http://ad.fr.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v8/34ce/3/0/%2a/z%3B20438065%3B0-0%3B0%3B4943085%3B933-120/600%3B12112007/12129903/1%3B%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com/products/timesselect/iht/overview.html?excamp=ts:iht_more"><PARAM NAME="Src" VALUE="http://m.fr.2mdn.net/518758/morepost_iht_120x600.swf?clickTag=http://ad.fr.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v8/34ce/3/0/%2a/z%3B20438065%3B0-0%3B0%3B4943085%3B933-120/600%3B12112007/12129903/1%3B%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com/products/timesselect/iht/overview.html?excamp=ts:iht_more"><PARAM NAME="WMode" VALUE="Opaque"><PARAM NAME="Play" VALUE="0"><PARAM NAME="Loop" VALUE="-1"><PARAM NAME="Quality" VALUE="High"><PARAM NAME="SAlign" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="Menu" VALUE="-1"><PARAM NAME="Base" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="AllowScriptAccess" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="Scale" VALUE="ShowAll"><PARAM NAME="DeviceFont" VALUE="0"><PARAM NAME="EmbedMovie" VALUE="0"><PARAM NAME="BGColor" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="SWRemote" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="MovieData" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="SeamlessTabbing" VALUE="1"><PARAM NAME="Profile" VALUE="0"><PARAM NAME="ProfileAddress" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="ProfilePort" VALUE="0"><PARAM NAME="AllowNetworking" VALUE="all"><EMBED SRC="http://m.fr.2mdn.net/518758/morepost_iht_120x600.swf?clickTag=http://ad.fr.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v8/34ce/3/0/%2a/z%3B20438065%3B0-0%3B0%3B4943085%3B933-120/600%3B12112007/12129903/1%3B%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com/products/timesselect/iht/overview.html?excamp=ts:iht_more" swLiveConnect=TRUE WIDTH="120" HEIGHT="600" TYPE="application/x-shockwave-flash" PLUGINSPAGE="HyperText Transfer Protocol//www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" QUALITY="high"></EMBED></OBJECT><NOEMBED></NOEMBED><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript type=text/javascript>if ((!document.images && navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Mozilla/2.') >= 0)|| navigator.userAgent.indexOf("WebTV") >= 0) {document.write('<a href="http://ad.fr.doubleclick.net/jump/sports.iht.com/index;cat=index;dcopt=ist;sz=120x600;ord=123456789 ?"
</SPAN></DIV><DIV class=pubdate><SPAN class=pubdatetext>Tuesday, January 2, 2007</SPAN> </DIV><DIV class=bodytextdiv><DIV class=inlinead><DIV align=center><SCRIPT language=JavaScript type=text/javascript>ord = Math.random() * 10000000000000000;document.write('<script language="JavaScript1.1" src="http://ad.fr.doubleclick.net/adj/sports.iht.com/index;cat=index;dcopt=ist;sz=120x600;ord=' + ord + '?" type="text/javascript"><' + '/' + 'script>');</SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.1 src="http://ad.fr.doubleclick.net/adj/sports.iht.com/index;cat=index;dcopt=ist;sz=120x600;ord=276432825 2826636?" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=VBScript> on error resume next ShockMode = (IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFl ash.5")))</SCRIPT><OBJECT id=banner codeBase="HyperText Transfer Protocol//download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=5,0,0,0" height=600 width=120 classid=clsid27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000><PARAM NAME="_cx" VALUE="3175"><PARAM NAME="_cy" VALUE="15875"><PARAM NAME="FlashVars" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="Movie" VALUE="http://m.fr.2mdn.net/518758/morepost_iht_120x600.swf?clickTag=http://ad.fr.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v8/34ce/3/0/%2a/z%3B20438065%3B0-0%3B0%3B4943085%3B933-120/600%3B12112007/12129903/1%3B%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com/products/timesselect/iht/overview.html?excamp=ts:iht_more"><PARAM NAME="Src" VALUE="http://m.fr.2mdn.net/518758/morepost_iht_120x600.swf?clickTag=http://ad.fr.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v8/34ce/3/0/%2a/z%3B20438065%3B0-0%3B0%3B4943085%3B933-120/600%3B12112007/12129903/1%3B%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com/products/timesselect/iht/overview.html?excamp=ts:iht_more"><PARAM NAME="WMode" VALUE="Opaque"><PARAM NAME="Play" VALUE="0"><PARAM NAME="Loop" VALUE="-1"><PARAM NAME="Quality" VALUE="High"><PARAM NAME="SAlign" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="Menu" VALUE="-1"><PARAM NAME="Base" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="AllowScriptAccess" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="Scale" VALUE="ShowAll"><PARAM NAME="DeviceFont" VALUE="0"><PARAM NAME="EmbedMovie" VALUE="0"><PARAM NAME="BGColor" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="SWRemote" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="MovieData" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="SeamlessTabbing" VALUE="1"><PARAM NAME="Profile" VALUE="0"><PARAM NAME="ProfileAddress" VALUE=""><PARAM NAME="ProfilePort" VALUE="0"><PARAM NAME="AllowNetworking" VALUE="all"><EMBED SRC="http://m.fr.2mdn.net/518758/morepost_iht_120x600.swf?clickTag=http://ad.fr.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v8/34ce/3/0/%2a/z%3B20438065%3B0-0%3B0%3B4943085%3B933-120/600%3B12112007/12129903/1%3B%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com/products/timesselect/iht/overview.html?excamp=ts:iht_more" swLiveConnect=TRUE WIDTH="120" HEIGHT="600" TYPE="application/x-shockwave-flash" PLUGINSPAGE="HyperText Transfer Protocol//www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" QUALITY="high"></EMBED></OBJECT><NOEMBED></NOEMBED><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript type=text/javascript>if ((!document.images && navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Mozilla/2.') >= 0)|| navigator.userAgent.indexOf("WebTV") >= 0) {document.write('<a href="http://ad.fr.doubleclick.net/jump/sports.iht.com/index;cat=index;dcopt=ist;sz=120x600;ord=123456789 ?"