WITH THE cosmic conjunction of the planet's self-described "biggest club", the world's hottest footballing commodity, a bull-fighting advert turned overnight YouTube sensation (with lots of added free publicity from the animal rights folks) and the eclipsing of a record held by the most iconic British footballer of the past 50 years, it was inevitable that the question should be raised: is Cristiano Ronaldo the best player in the world?

Answering that query requires sifting through the arguments and dissecting the relevant ones from those which are mere hype. Let's start with the latter. Much was made of how Ronaldo's brace against Bolton brought his seasonal tally to 33, breaking George Best's record for a winger of 32, set back in 1967-68. In fact, it's a case of apples and oranges. Best scored 28 goals in 41 league appearances, Ronaldo has 24 in just 26 games and, with eight matches to go, he has plenty of time to equal Best in the league. More to the point, the Portuguese has six goals in seven Champions League appearances and that, together with his domestic haul, is what makes his performance stand above Best's, at least statistically.

The other fallacy in these numbers is the notion that Best and, especially, Ronaldo are wingers. The way United play the game, it's a meaningless tag, fit for those who believe players have metal rods running through their torsos, like in table-football. Ronaldo is no more a winger than Dave Cameron is a cyclist. Best, of course, had freedom to roam as well, but Sir Matt Busby's United were a far more tactically orthodox side than Sir Alex Ferguson's, with its fluid front four.

Ronaldo's numbers are rendered all the more impressive when you consider that his first goal of the season, the winner against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, didn't come until September 19. And his first league goal didn't arrive until September 29, against Birmingham City. Since breaking the ice in Lisbon he has notched 33 goals in 33 games ... the kind of scoring rate you ordinarily only see on the XBox.

Of course, not all goals are created equal. Scoring the fifth in a 5-0 shellacking may pad the stats, but is not as important as notching the goal which turns a draw into a win. A look at his scoring patterns reveals that more than half his goals (17 of 33) this season have come in situations where United already held the lead.

Another useful measure is how the club does when he's not around. And United's record sans Ronaldo in all competitions is distinctly lacklustre: won three, drawn one, lost three.

But these are just numbers. To rank Ronaldo against his contemporaries, you have to go on more than just goals. And the facts reveal that the other candidates for the mythical title seem to be on the slide. Kaka, the reigning European Footballer of the Year, is out of the Champions' League and languishing in fifth place in Serie A. He has four goals in his last 20 club appearances and his side, AC Milan, have nosedived since winning the World Club championship in December.

Ronaldinho, of course, is enduring a nightmare of his own. He has lasted 90 minutes just six times in the past four months. More importantly, he has often been marginalised by Barcelona, who are reluctant to give him a new contract (and market forces tend not to lie when it comes to assessing a player's value).

His teammate Leo Messi is the most cited heir apparent to one Diego Maradona, and Ronaldo's stiffest competition. His 14 goals in all competitions pale by comparison to Ronaldo's though, unlike the Portuguese, he shares the limelight with prolific strikers such as Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o, making it harder for him to rack up numbers. Either way, the discussion is probably moot: the injury he picked up against Celtic means he won't return until mid-May.

Others? Sevilla's Luis Fabiano (30 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions) is having a monster year. So is Fernando Torres at Liverpool (27 in 36). Cesc Fabregas, who obviously won't put up such gaudy numbers, is also going from strength to strength. All three could probably argue that they have a tougher job than Ronaldo, as they are called upon to carry their team far more often than the United star. They do have a point. Torres' service - Steven Gerrard aside - comes from Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel. Cesc Fabregas has all too often had to rely on Emanuel Eboue, Mathieu Flamini and Theo Walcott. Not quite the same as having the luxury of playing a one-two with Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney or Ryan Giggs.

Yet, with all due respect, Ronaldo is on another level right now. Because while it's true that talented teammates make your job easier in so many ways, it's equally true that the argument works in reverse. Tevez and Rooney - no slouches themselves - have the luxury of playing with Ronaldo (and with each other). Yet neither is having the breakaway season Ronaldo is enjoying.

And then there are the tangibles. Ronaldo looks like he was built in a lab. He has size, pace, power and reams of technical ability in a perfectly coordinated package (how many 6'2" inch, 12-and-a-half stone players move with his grace). He also happens to head the ball better than any of United's other attacking players. Looking back, one can only laugh at the critics who, in his first few seasons, claimed he was a "fancy dan" with "no end product" (go on, you know who you are ...). He's such a threat that, even when he stands around doing nothing, he's actively disrupting the opposition, giving them something else to worry about. And Sir Alex has become extremely adept at shifting him all along the offensive front.

The scary bit is that he only turned 23 last month. Which, of course, doesn't mean he'll be the best player in the world for the next decade. This time last year it looked as if Kaka would dominate world football and now he's been bumped (and he's still just 25 himself). Torres is 24, Messi and Fabregas both, amazingly, 20.

He may have earned the title of world's best player this year. But the competition is both fierce and hungry. If he wants to keep the crown, he'll have to perform just as well next year. And the year after that, and so on. And, if he does, he'll take his place alongside the all-time greats. Because the only thing he lacks right now is longevity. And that can only come in time.