It is largely debatable that the best players in the game always bring with them much controversy.
Maradona is still known for his ‘Mano de Dios’ (hand of god) and his drug use off the field. Zinedine Zidane will forever be remembered for the headbutt felt around the world. Luis Figo will forever be known in Barcelona as ‘el pesetero’ (the traitor). George Best had the reputation for being an off-the-pitch boozer. Thierry Henry will now forever go in folklore as a player with a ‘hands-on’ approach to the game.
Then we come to one man who seems to create controversy after controversy. I am of course talking about none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. If we are to call Jose Mourinho the Special One, then Cristiano Ronaldo steals the honors for the Controversial One.
In light of his antics at the weekend against Almeria, I’d like to take a look down memory lane.
As early as his days in the Sporting academy Ronaldo has been known for his temperamental nature, something that is not uncommon with natural winners.
When he joined Manchester United, the world was not ready to deal with what was headed their way. He was often criticized for ‘taking the mickey’ out of his opponents, while dazzling the crowds with tricky footwork. This also lead to claims that Ronaldo seemed to go to ground too easy, a claim that is loudly voiced by his most ardent haters.
Then of course, came World Cup 2006. His appeal to the referee of the England-Portugal quarter-final match, and the ensuing wink caused tidal raves in England, as his teammate Wayne Rooney was sent off after a stamp on Chelsea’s Ricardo Carvalho. The Sun went as far as to print a full-page spread image of Ronaldo’s infamous wink with a bulls-eye in the middle.
This led to the first link to Real Madrid. For the remainder of the summer there was non-stop, round-the-clock reports that Ronaldo wanted out of Old Trafford and was seeking asylum in Spain with Barcelona and Madrid the likeliest destinations. Sir Alex Ferguson, however, was not about to lose his crown gem and flew out to Portugal to convince Ronaldo to stay in Manchester, much like he previously had done with Eric Cantona. Ferguson’s appeal worked and Ronaldo would feature in red for the 2006-2007 season.
His every touch was met with boos from the supporters, but this didn’t seem to phase him. If anything, Cristiano Ronaldo was now creating new heights for himself, winning major acclaim from the Manchester United fans. He boasted an impressive goal tally for the season, and to top it all off, he was able to win both player and media awards for his impressive performances, all the more impressive considering the hate generated towards him at the beginning of the season.
When the summer of 2007 rolled around, it was inevitable that the rumors would spark up again. However, Ronaldo would continue to be a Manchester United player for the next two seasons, picking up FIFA’s Player of the Year award and the European Golden Boot for scoring the most goals.
Then finally, it happened. The most controversial transfer fee associated with any player. Cristiano Ronaldo was sold for the not-so-modest price of £80 million, shattering the previous record which was shelled out just weeks prior for Milan’s Kaka, also by Real Madrid in their quest to create a new generation of galacticos.
His initial run with Madrid has seen him score more goals than he has played games, and despite his injury set back, he returned to his peak with a brace against Marseille in Real Madrid’s final group game in the Champions League – coming just days after his controversial (note the redundancy) showing at the weekend.
After failing to score a penalty and seeing Karim Benzema put the ball away in the back of the net, Ronaldo was seemingly indifferent, preferring to lament on his failed opportunity, before netting a tap-in goal minutes later in the match and earning his first yellow card for taking off his shirt in celebration. He then proceeded to pick up his second yellow, and consequently first red card for Real Madrid, when he kicked out at an opponent. In Ronaldo’s defense, however, it is a tad unjust that he has come under so much heat for the incident, considering he took a vicious blow to the head from the same player in the run of the play, something that has not been reported by a single news source that wasted no time in criticizing the easy target that is Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, as always, it was Cristiano Ronaldo who got the last laugh yesterday when, as previously mentioned, he netted two goals against Marseille. He will miss out on a key game for Real Madrid, who will also be without Kaka due to injury, this weekend as they square off against Valencia.
Paulo Pincaro is an up and coming football analyst who previously wrote for the LusoAmericano newspaper based in Newark, New Jersey and can be contacted via email at: PauloNewYorker@yahoo.com. You may also become a fan and keep up to date with the newest headlines on FaceBook at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Paulo-Pincaro/199479401891?ref=ts
Written By Paulo
Pincaro
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Great article. Funny how so many of Ronaldo’s haters are just oblivious of his accomplishments. Best player in the world, he’s only human, and he has the right to act up like a stuck up little girl if it makes him happy.
It’s really weird… The more pressure he receives from ppl around him, eg. fans, the better he performs.
AKA the more ppl hate him, the better he gets! ^^
“Your love makes me strong. Your hate makes me unstoppable” – Nike ad featuring Ronaldo
Good article. I’d like to think that CR does not yet have a career defining moment (the England game hopefully was just a “wink”).
Perhaps him scoring a winning goal against Brazil in the WC Final (not the Groups stage) next year in South Africa would be a better defining moment for such a dominant player who is still in his prime.