An ode to Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo

A wise man once said, “Don’t get mad, get even.”

The veracity of this saying can never be underestimated, nor can it be underplayed when it comes to Cristiano Ronaldo. 49 goals in 110 senior appearances for Portugal, Pauleta’s record goes swishing through the valley of oblivion. And still to have the bearings of a man to go all out and claim, “I do not look to beat records. This happens naturally, with a lot of effort, dedication, with the excellent national team we have, a good coach. I knew that sooner or later it was going to happen.”

This comes from a man who can be called the underpinning of an entire nation, a nation which on any given day could have been called the Banana Republic of Football.

Cheers to an anecdote:

At a Tottenham-Arsenal derby, a spectator finds himself in the thick of dozens of flying bottles.

“There’s nothing to worry, lad” said the elderly gentleman sitting next to him. “It’s like bombs during the war. You won’t get hit unless the bottle’s got your name on it.”

So the man replies saying, “That’s what I’m worried about. My name’s Johnny Walker.”

All of us football aficionados cannot help but relate with ‘the bottle’s got your name on it.’ But here we go, Paradigm Shift. Cristiano Ronaldo has been under the scanner even since he has won the prestigious Ballon d’Or. And I’m not eulogizing one bit if I say that he has lived up to every hooligan and every fanatic that chants his name. With Lionel Messi crawling on his back, he has showed the rigor of a true sportsman in channelizing and galvanising what Portugal demands of him.

CR7 has been colossal to say the least. Remember the story of Achilles? Remember, remember. Ronaldo seems to lack his heel. This made me think. Was it the death of Eusebio or was it the reincarnation of him? Ronaldo seems to be having the Midas touch. Only everything he touches becomes divine. Be it for Real Madrid or Portugal, has he not been phenomenal? I have had enough football viewing to know a legend from a very good player. Legends will commit to fortitude. They will brush aside the criticism and will gear up for a new day, a new morning.

Jose Mourinho certainly believes that Cristiano Ronaldo does not need a World Cup to show off his statistics. But ask any person who has been on that field for those crucial 90 minutes and they will tell you that to have another feather in the cap goes a long way into making someone go down the annals of history. The boy wonder at Macnhester United, Ferguson’s boy adorable has shunned every critic possible to make his presence felt at the Bernabeu. When Mesut Ozil left the Galacticos, the world had written them off but CR7 had other plans.

Up stepped the man with a past which consists of goals, easier seen than believed. Parallels will always be drawn and the expectations will be humongous at the FIFA World Cup 2014 for this man and the true testament will be removing all doubts as to who the Best Player on the planet is by thrashing the likes of Ghana, USA and the biggies Germany, each one of them a powerhouse in their own senses.

“Calma, calma!”

The prolific player has held Madrid and the Portuguese team at the seams and has put in some breath-taking performances during the 2013-14 footballing calendar. Who can ever forget the rage the Swedish camp was subjected to when this one man silenced the Nordic continent with what must be the most eye-catching performance of recent times? And Keep Calma, people. The fellow knows what he’s doing. Take a deep breath and make sure you have none of ‘em heart problems whilst a Portugal match is going on. It might just be your swansong.

What scares me is the fate of defenders coming up against him in three months at the World Cup. I would also like to state that although so much of goodie-goodie is flying around this article about this man, the rest of the Portuguese team deserves accolades for letting him take centre stage. I worship Messi, remember, but disregarding Ronaldo would be like signing cheques which bounce back.

Yes, this was always meant to be an Ode to the ‘The Sultan of the Stepover’. But being at the pinnacle is one thing, remaining there is quite another. So, get your popcorn ready and take note of this bird, plane, or better still; Superman. Remember the leap of faith against United. *smirks*