Cristiano Ronaldo - In his own element

As a student growing up, I loved the subject of chemistry because there were elements to it (pun intended) which were esoteric to the naked thought. The complexity of organic chemistry, with all the structures and symbols and equations, made it quite interesting to study and analyse. Then there was the periodic table, with nobles gases and radioactive materials, and each one of these had unique characteristics of their own. Often, students would drop out of these classes during the middle of a semester, unable to cope with the mystery and vastness of this classic field of science. It would not be fair to blame it all on the subject for the failures of lesser mortals who moved on to literature and commerce. In the modern era of football, there is one such mysterious yet magnificent creature called Cristiano Ronaldo a.k.a. CR7. He is like a radioactive element whose uses are hidden and unknown while the world only cares about its deleterious effects. The media, fans and analysts alike find this fabulous footballer just too hot to handle. This article will not focus on the star’s achievements and statistics, because that would just be redundant and pointless; rather it will throw some light on the undeserving criticism that he draws.

Pride and Attitude – Limbs of competitive sports

Quite often, I have come across reports in segments of the media lambasting this passionate star for exhibiting a heightened sense of haughtiness on the pitch. I sincerely believe that this emanates from a fine-tuned apparatus of self-belief and confidence in his towering capabilities. “Pride comes before the fall” is what the Holy Bible might preach, but that is not what we are all taught from our childhood. Especially, if you want to pursue a career in sports, only fierce pride and unrelenting passion can push you towards your goal. Every single athlete has this passion and self-pride, but where they all differ is simply the portrayal. We all have witnessed Messi go past defenders and score goals when his side is in trouble. This is just a reaction to the sense of injured pride within him and it doesn’t make him any less proud than CR7 just because the latter verbalizes. The sport would just crumble into pieces if these athletes started shedding away their pride and attitude.

Trash talking: No shame in that

The most atrocious whining is when I listen to fans talking about how CR7 dismisses his opponents by uttering demeaning words to them. Seriously, why don’t you join the cheer-leading squad for the Dallas Cowboys if you cannot digest a few expletives thrown at you? Even at the most amateurish levels of sports in schools and colleges, players indulge in trash-talking and this is an integral part of the game aimed at only unsettling the opponent rather than denigrate his family or pedigree. Ronaldo once attacked a defender verbally by asking him how much money he made and I am sure there are many such incidents. But the media should stop criminalizing him for these statements which are innocuous in intent. The Australians cricketers have been masters in the art of sledging for decades and yet we don’t seem to belittle the greatness of a Glenn McGrath. The other day, I was watching a show where some NBA greats like Charles Barkley were discussing how the game has changed over the years and they all agreed that Micheal Jordan was unassailable when it came to trash-talking. Yet, I have never seen any American journalist focusing on this aspect of his game, because they were only keen on all his dunks, cross-overs and jumpers and rightly so.

No Armstrong, but strong alright!

The world of sports is one which punishes the weak and is probably the most suitable example of the famous phrase “survival of the fittest”. However, the modern day athletes have taken this a little too seriously and become slaves to performance-enhancing drugs. Athletics, Baseball and Cycling have all been rocked by the controversies surrounding doping but the latest episode which shook the belief of all mankind was when Lance Armstrong confessed to drug abuse. Even more shameful was that he had been lying about it as well as cajoling his teammates to do the same for many years now. These are the athletes who should be ridiculed and stripped of any glory whatsoever. CR7, just like many footballers, is giving everything he has got to offer for the sake of their clubs and countries without engaging in methods that cheat the system and make fans look like bleeding imbeciles. So, let us just protect such entertainers who sweat and shed blood on the field worthy of every penny they earn rather than concentrate on their minuscule shortcomings like a nagging ball-busting hag.

A changed man for sure

There is something quite remarkable about Ronaldo which many people fail to accredit. When he was a winger who dazzled at Man Utd, he used to be great at dribbling but he took this confidence too far and used to end up showing fragments of selfishness. However, over the last few years at Madrid, the player has added a weapon to his arsenal and this makes him ever so dangerous. His vision, off-the-ball movements, and especially assists, are taking him closer to super-stardom. Nobody, including the ‘special one’, is in a position to question the commitment of this Portuguese genius, as he plays every single game of the season giving more than a 100 percent week-in, week-out. He displays a great sense of togetherness with his teammates and has on so many occasions verbally and physically motivated the spirits of his colleagues during the state of play. Incidents like he staying away himself but asking Modric to carry the Spanish Super cup trophy on the latter’s debut, and handing over the captain’s armband to Iker Casillas, when he replaced Adan recently during the middle of the game, are all examples showing the greatness of this individual. It is ludicrous that the media fails to recognize these moments and blindly wields a weapon at the superstar.

It is now time to reveal that I am in fact a supporter of FC Barcelona and a die-hard fan of Lionel Messi. As a player, he stands out and has proven that he is just more gifted than CR7. And it is also true that Messi is humble and does so many other awesome things like staying on his feet and refusing to dive, always pointing to his team-mates first for their assists, etc. Recently, there have been alleged reports pointing to some misbehavior from Messi too. Nevertheless, I want to drive home this point that these sports icons are idolized for their mind-boggling plays. Unless we plan to get our daughters or sisters married to either one of them, their personal lives and emotional outbursts are none of our business. Let us treasure both Messi and Ronaldo and many other great footballers for they come into our living rooms every weekend and make our lives a whole lot better.

Long live the beautiful game.