I begin by pointing out that I am not a fan of Real Madrid. Nor am I particularly a fan of their 80 million pound superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo. Whilst I am an admirer of his footballing talents, he has been rightfully condemned in the past for his selfishness, blatant simulation and arrogance.
His often unsportsmanlike behaviour was never more evident than in the 2006 World Cup, through his infamous wink, which followed the sending off of England’s Wayne Rooney. The English media vilified him, with The Sun releasing a headline in their newspaper proclaiming that “Cristiano Ronaldo will be ditched by Manchester United because of his World Cup shame.”
However, he managed to win back the English fans (and to a certain extent the media) courtesy of his fantastic displays over the next couple of seasons, but the temptation of Madrid eventually proved to be irresistible. As his six-year career at Manchester United drew to a close at the end of the 2008-09 season and he prepared for his inevitable transfer, doubts were already being raised over his ability to gel with the other egos of the Madrid dressing room.
The wink that almost brought his United career to a premature end
As world famous names such as Kaka and Benzema flocked to the Spanish club during a massive summer spending spree to join the likes of Sergio Ramos and Raul, it quickly became apparent that Ronaldo would not be the dominant force of the team as he was at United.
The vultures watched and waited with anticipation, hoping to see signs of friction between Ronaldo and his new team-mates that they could pounce upon. They are still waiting. Ronaldo put in his best performance in a Madrid shirt on the weekend, inspiring the team to a 6-2 thumping of Villarreal, which leaves them only two points behind league leaders Barcelona.
But apart from his trademark free-kick to open the scoring and his usual flicks and tricks, it was his tireless running and teamwork which highlighted his maturity as a footballer. Add an end product to his work ethic which yielded two assists plus the winning of a penalty and it was hard to see how the media could turn this performance into a controversy.
A tribute to his hometown of Madeira - the victims of floods and mudslides
Yet, predictably, the post-match focus has been on a reported “dispute” between Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso over who should take a penalty in the dying stages of the match. Spanish television station Canal+ aired the following discussion:
Alonso: Cris, give it to me… because I haven’t even scored one goal. Let me score one, let me.
Ronaldo: The next one, I promise you.
Alonso: No, stop. Give me this one. Come on, give me the ball.
Ronaldo played down the incident after the match with an increasingly familiar shrug and quick explanation,
I gave the ball to Xabi because there are enough chances for everyone. The team played well and there is no need to worry about what happened in Lyon. Here we all win and lose together.
His team-mates, all too aware of the media’s intentions to disrupt the harmony of the team, have also been quick to dismiss the incident. Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain, a two-goal hero in the rout, noted that Alonso wanted to score his first goal in a Madrid shirt and that there was nothing more to it.
A similar incident occurred against Almeria earlier in the season, when it was reported that Ronaldo failed to celebrate after his missed penalty was netted on the rebound by a team-mate. In his short Madrid career, he has also been described as an “idiot” by the Spanish media for reckless red cards for violent conduct against lowly Almeria and Malaga. His response was one of understandable frustration against the referee and the media, labelling the red card against Malaga a “disgrace.”
People who understand football know that my intention is always to try and play…I know you saw blood on the T.V. screens but I was just trying to break free. I never try to hurt anyone.
Ronaldo after being red-carded against Malaga
I am not trying to claim that Ronaldo is perfect, he certainly is not. However, there are those within the media and footballing circles who love nothing more than for a chance to bring him down. This is due to his world famous status, his ability to generate and earn so much money and the fact that he is an entertainer who brings both joy and despair to fans.
He has become increasingly embroiled in a lose-lose situation, as the outcome from the match against Villarreal largely demonstrated. Here’s hoping he can have the last laugh against his jealous detractors…
CRISTIANO RONALDO IS THE BEST PLAYER IN HISTORY, HE IS MY HEROE AND A LEYEND… THERE IS NO ONE LIKE HIM… I LOVE HIM SO MUCH… HE IS A FUTBOL GOD, HE IS SIMPLY A GOD. AND THANKYOU BEN MURPHY FOR YOUR ARTICLE BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH YOUR NOT A FAN OF MY BABY CRISTIANO YOU WRITE THE TRUTH, THAT IS CALLED INTEGRITY AND GENIUS… THANKYOU
and yet you start off by criticising ronaldo the same way his detractors do – with an inaccurate, distorted and false account of what actually happened after rooney’s sending off.
here’s a good account, by the man himself: http://therepublikofmancunia.com/rooney-i-didnt-want-world-cup-mess-with-ron-to-ruin-uniteds-chances/
you’re not to blame – the press twisted the story and it was easier to blame ronaldo for england’s failings than accept being not good enough. ronaldo was hounded by the press constantly after that, and everything he did was painted in a negative light.
fair play on the rest though.
Ahmed i have to agree with you. Most of the article i applaud but this sentence troubles me: ‘he has been rightfully condemned in the past for his selfishness, blatant simulation and arrogance.’
I’m sorry but being a flair player, and moreover, a world star, necessitates a degree of selfishness. You can get freudian and link it to ego, whatever you like, but quite simply, entertainers have that in their genes. Lionel Messi is a media darling, but have you seen him with the ball? He is gloriously selfish, i wouldnt have it any other way. Ronaldo has been branded arrogant and selfish more than Messi because of the way he looks, and the way he struts.
Also, blatant simulation i take real issue with. Robert Pires was a player guilty of blatant simulation, Ronaldo, if you study past footage, wasn’t actually a diver. What he did do however, was overreact to challenges and roll around on the floor theatirically when tackled. Which was irksome i agree, but its a misconception and i actually think part of the long standing prejudice towards foreign players to label him a diver.
I have seen Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen dive far more than i ever saw Ronaldo dive, and they never had the attention from defenders Ronaldo had. Gerrard in particular is guilty of some disgraceful attempts, yet its not mentioned.
And the World Cup thing was absurd, if you want any indication as to how twisted the press rendered that, watch it again. How Ricardo Carvalho escaped without a word said against him is beyond me. Ronaldo was villified for a….wink…a wink? it’s laughable.
I sincerely hope that if we get knocked out this year we don’t have to go through the same old trite sensationalist fabrications of injustice characterizing every single major tournament we have been in in the last decade.
It’s in the nature of the media to try and knock those at the top. Ronaldo is not the first and certainly won’t be the last.
The Rooney incident was tailor made for the English rag press who always go apoplectic when England are eliminated and jump on the nearest scapegoat….Ronaldo, Beckham, Graham Taylor.
What is refershing to see is that the public are not as gullible as these rags seem to believe. In most cases the vilified quickly bounce back…..as you note regarding Ronaldo.
On a lighter note though, it’s a honour to see that Ronaldo’s mum reads Soccerelns!
Wecome Mrs ‘nandaly’….come back often! 🙂