The End of Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal lost against Spain in their round of 16 match a few days ago and it ended Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo's dream of winning a World Cup title. Ronaldo is an odd character; he is a brilliant goal scorer and wonderful football player but he is also an actor on the pitch, courting free-kicks and making theatrical dives. Does his exit at this World Cup and the controversy of spitting at a camera signal an end for the great player?
Ronaldo has always been a polarising figure; for some he is the best footballer out there and for others he dives too much, does too much acting and seems to be sullying the spirit of the game of football. He scores a lot of goals for whichever club he plays for, but a criticism towards him fails to show his brilliance when he plays international matches. This is reflected in his international goal scoring record, in 2004, 2006 and 2007 he really shone scoring 7, 5 and 6 goals respectively. In 2008, 2009 and 2010 he managed to only score one goal each year. Maybe we can say he was instrumental in build ups and passes for his team mates to score goals but sadly that was not the case either. He was lacklustre and looked tired in his matches. He managed to score one goal in the huge 7 goal defeat of Korea in the first round but even then it seemed as if others where the dominant ones in the match.
Ronaldo's days as king of Portuguese football are numbered. It seems all the whining and theatrics have pushed him into the background. If we look at the example of Lionel Messi, we see a completely different type of footballer. Messi shows us all what a truly great footballer is; he does not whine, he does not dive and he goes to every game and performs to win. Even though Messi has not scored a single goal in the World Cup so far, he has powered his team to win after win.
Ronaldo seemed to give up as soon as Spain scored their only goal against Portugal in their match recently. It looked as if he did not want to play anymore and left the creating of chances and the beautiful passes to others. His team needed him and as captain he should have stepped up and delivered a leader's performance to rally his troops to victory. Luis Figo spoke out about Ronaldo's statements after the game. Ronaldo when asked for his reaction to the match answered that the question should be asked of his coach and not of him. Figo felt that a real leader would always defend his team and stand up for them no matter what happened. Ronaldo's statement and actions after the match was over, can be contrasted and compared to Fabio Canavarro's attitude and behaviour after Italy's humiliating exit in the first round. Canavarro really stepped up shaking hands with his own team mates telling them they tried very hard and even picking up and consoling a sobbing team mate from the pitch. That is what a captain does; he does not storm off the pitch in an angry fit.
Ronaldo proved himself unworthy of the captaincy for another reason. While walking off the pitch a camera was following him and Ronaldo spat right in front of the camera as if spitting on the camera and all the fans watching around the world. It seemed like the fitting end to a horrendous game played by the star of Portugal. If he can get a grip on himself and work on his people skills, then he might be able to come back in four years time and lead his side to great victories at the next World Cup. He may be too old by then and he will not have the grace and prowess which he does now but maybe a good PR campaign and a good scrubbing down would improve his image and his game.
Even though Ronaldo is loved by many and hated by many he is still a great football player. Maybe he is not the best captain in the world but he might grow up and learn to fill this important role he plays for his country. We can all hope that day comes soon and ushers in a golden era for Portugal.
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