MANAUS, Brazil — He’s charismatic, good-looking, a phenomenal talent. So why doesn’t the world love Cristiano Ronaldo, the way it adores the little moppet, Lionel Messi?
Why does Ronaldo get jeered when he travels outside Portugal? Why did the Danish fans chant Messi’s name at Ronaldo during a 2012 Euro match, until the Portuguese star finally could take it no more and denigrated the untouchable, beloved Argentine?
“You know where he was at this time last year?” Ronaldo said then, when asked about those Messi chants. “Do you know? He was eliminated in the Copa America, (in) his own country. And people say that he is the best player in the world.”
Maybe that’s why they don’t love him. Because Ronaldo has more pride than befits an international superstar, or anyone else for that matter. Because he poses shirtless, and anywhere there is some money to be had with more posing. Because he runs to the television camera after a goal, speaks into it, and people wonder whether he is taunting Messi again or he is simply saying, “Para ti,” to his young son.
Because he is vain, and his stance before one of his spectacular, swerving free kicks — legs apart, hands on hips — is more than a bit arrogant. Because his work rate isn’t always the greatest, and he doesn’t often bother tracking back on defense.
Because his hair is always perfect. Because he’s dating a Russian model. Because he signed a new contract last September with Real Madrid for about $34 million per year. Because he doesn’t always say the right thing. Because he winked at his own bench when Wayne Rooney, his teammate at Manchester United, was sent off at the 2006 World Cup.
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Because Ronaldo, CR7, is A-Rod, minus the drugs. Because he is David Beckham with an attitude.
And finally, because this is what he told the Spanish newspaper Marca when asked why he is sometimes viewed as a villain.
“It is because I am handsome, rich and a great player,” he said. “Because I am envied. I have no other explanation.”
And because when Marca asked him which top players have impressed him most, Ronaldo said, “Myself, in the mirror.”
So there are plenty of reasons why this self-made superstar of such modest roots is not embraced. And yet, there is always the spectacular soccer and the allure of a mischief maker. As of this weekend, Ronaldo had 27.1 million followers on Twitter. They don’t all dislike the poor fellow.
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born in Santo Antonio, Portugal. His mother was a cook. His father, a city landscaper, had trouble with alcohol and died young. Born in 1985, the boy was given the name Ronaldo because his father thought Ronald Reagan was a great president, and an even greater actor.
Ronaldo was a transcendent youth player, grew up in the Sporting Clube de Portugal and was soon playing at age 18 for Alex Ferguson and Manchester United. By age 22, before Messi’s emergence, Ronaldo was considered the very best player in the world. He was also getting into considerable trouble on the nightclub scene, even facing an unsubstantiated charge of rape in London.
No matter how his personal life veered, he was an amazing player to watch. While Messi motored low to the ground with infinitesimal changes in speed and direction, Ronaldo humiliated defenders with very large, showy moves. He somehow stood tall and at the same time burst past opponents with a supernatural first step. He could rise above others in the box, with just the right timing, for a header. He could shoot bullets from long distances. He could curl a free kick like nobody since Beckham.
“He’s a complete player,” said Michael Bradley, the U.S. midfielder. “When you look at the game today, there’s such a premium on the physical aspect of the game — speed, strength, endurance. He is a guy who checks all of those boxes, and then, when you talk about his technical ability, the way he shoots with his right foot, his left foot, how good in the air he is … He’s somebody who can make a difference at any moment.”
Here in Brazil, there have been questions about Ronaldo’s fitness, questions about whether he will play in the match Sunday against the Americans. Reports said his own doctor advised him to sit and rest for two months, not to risk tearing his patellar tendon.
Say what you want about Ronaldo, he is a gamer. Everyone expects him to play, including his own teammates.
“I’m not a doctor but from what I see, Cristiano Ronaldo is fine,” Portugal midfielder Miguel Veloso said. “He is training, he is jumping and he is shooting. There is not much else to say.”
Nothing to say until Sunday, when the match starts, when he will be getting booed by the American Outlaws, and when Ronaldo makes the ball spin and roll in otherworldly ways.
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How to stop Cristiano Ronaldo
1. Don’t allow him his patented free kicks. Don’t commit any unnecessary fouls from 28 yards out or closer.
2. Cut off his suppliers. If through and looping passes don’t service him from midfield, he won’t get the ball in position to score. In particular, stop Joao Moutinho’s feeds.
3. Afford him extremely limited space to dribble in the box. Tougher done than written, but double-team him if necessary. Ronaldo requires only half a step to get off a scorching shot.
