#CR7 v MU6 While Ronnie looks deadly, Pog looks more a deadbeat

THEY ended the night as they began it, with an embrace, two superstars up close and personal but a distance apart.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba, one bona fide galactico and one pretender to that title.

It only took one moment for Ronaldo to make a telling mark on proceedings, something Pogba never really did.

Pogba, in his own position, aspires to be in the same sort of bracket as the Portuguese but has a long way to go, as this evening demonstrated.

At least he seemed to enjoy catching up with Cristiano. But there was only one thoroughbred superstar on show here.

Quite what Roy Keane would have made of the pre-match hugs and kisses in an Old Trafford tunnel of love, you dread to think.

Anyone in Juventus clobber got a high-five, a cuddle, a handshake or all three from Pogba, while Ronaldo was glad-handing everyone from the security to his old Real Madrid boss.

That is the thing with so many of these guys, they are rivals but comrades in commerce, constantly upping the ante for boot deals and video-game endorsements for each other.

Ronaldo has long since proved he has the excellence to match his marketing reach but it is hard to say the same of Pogba with the same degree of conviction, certainly not when judged solely on his Manchester United output.

Immense for Juve and France, he has – in his third season back in England – yet to put together a sustained run of game-dominating brilliance for United.

Indeed, as outstanding a footballer as he is, Pogba finds it tough to put in a sustained run of brilliance inside a single game.

Hence the wonderful dispossession of Blaise Matuidi is soon followed by a Hollywood pass into the punters, the sequel to halting Ronaldo in full flow is a botched attempt to fool Miralem Pjanic with a step-over.

Contrast that with Ronaldo’s contribution.

There has always been an unfussy, often devastating directness about Ronaldo’s approach to the game, whether it be in the strike, the pass or the burst of pace and whipped cross that led to Paulo Dybala’s first-half goal.

It probably helps that Ronaldo (below) has a wealth of attacking accomplices in the Juve line-up.

In theory, Pogba should have plenty of options to choose from when going forward but the problem with Jose Mourinho’s attacking selections is he likes them to defend.

Pogba (below) looks up and sees Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford still more concerned about their work as auxiliary full-backs.

Not that his sloppiness with possession can be excused but it is hard not to sense Pogba’s forward-thinking instincts are being dulled by his manager.

And at least Pogba has tried to drive his team towards comebacks in recent games.

And there were a couple of moments – particularly when that clever left-footer cannoned of a post – when he threatened to inspire the sort of second-half performances produced on recent domestic duty.

In truth, though, it was only a couple of moments and Ronaldo always looked like making another decisive intervention.

That never arrived either but you would not bet against it happening in the return in Turin.

Ronaldo’s career might be on the home stretch while Pogba’s has a couple of circuits left.