‘Narcissistic’ Cristiano Ronaldo lets Portugal down
Cristiano Ronaldo should write a cheque — if he hasn’t already done so — to his teammate Silvestre Varela for saving his face in Euro 2012.
Even if the amount is a fraction of Ronaldo’s annual wages it should suffice because he is a galactico and one of the top earners in football.
Varela scored Portugal’s winner against Denmark in a Group B match after Ronaldo had spurned a chance, which a park footballer would have smashed in.
With the score line reading 2-1 in favour of Portugal, Ronaldo had a glorious one-on-one chance to put the result beyond doubt. But the Real Madrid star drilled his shot wide to the utter disbelief of Portuguese fans.
The ghastly miss came back to haunt Portugal as Nicklas Bendtner made it 2-2 almost immediately with a towering header.
After the ball had gone in, the cameras zoomed in on Ronaldo instead of the goal scorer. For once, the villain mattered more than the hero.
Had not Varela intervened with a superb swing of his right foot in the 87th minute the Portuguese press would have crucified Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, who was transferred from Manchester Untied to Real Madrid for a world record fee of $130 million, can do no wrong at the club level. He is the embodiment of excellence when he turns up for the Spanish giants.
Even though he has fluffed penalties in crucial matches in the Champions League (final in 2008 and semi-final in 2012), there is no doubt that he is the real deal in club football. At the international, however, his record is poor by his lofty standards.
He has only scored five goals in 15 matches in major tournaments since he made his debut at Euro 2004.
Entry to the temple of greatness is reserved only for those who excel for both club and country. It is easier to shine for Real because the Spanish club cherry pick their squad by splashing obscene sums of cash.
The real test is with the national team who must manage with available talent. Diego Maradona became a legend only after inspiring a moderate Argentina team to World Cup glory in 1986.
After a dismal World Cup in 2010, Ronaldo is in the midst of another pathetic campaign at Euro 2012. If he was ordinary in Portugal’s opener against Germany, he was unbelievably bad against Denmark.
He may not have played a worse match in a Portuguese shirt. Ronaldo was so pedestrian that, at times, it appeared that the instructions of his brain were going unheeded. There was a sense of detachment to his game.
What was more galling than his abject failure was his swagger on the pitch. Ronaldo had no patience for others’ inadequacies while doing nothing of note himself.
He didn’t work hard enough for his team. Football is a team game for everyone but for him it is all about I, me and myself. A narcissist like Ronaldo will find it hard to be loved universally.
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