Is Cristiano Ronaldo over-rated and over-hyped?
Varun, from SportZForumZ.com, writes in about Cristiano Ronaldo and questions whether the hype surrounding him is deserved or not
We all know this player, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the young talent who has taken the soccer world by storm in the past 2 years. The fans hold their breath as the ball graces his nimble feet. The commentators let loose their excitement at the sight of the young lad out running the defenders and the managers get off their seats to see what he is up to.
His presence is enough to boost the TRPs of any event or match. But seeing him on and off the pitch, one question arises- Is he really worth all the praise heaped upon him or is he just another of the hyped footballers? On going beyond the face value of his quick stopovers and entertaining rabonas and back heels, we get to know a lot about him that dispels many of our beliefs about his being a ‘great footballer’.
What makes a great player is more than just his skill. His grace, elegance and the way he carries himself on and off the pitch is what separates a great from the rest of the players.
The first major problem with Ronaldo is his arrogance. He has it in excess. What we saw at the San Siro, Milan 2 years ago is a proof of that. The 20 year old Ronaldo dared to push The Brazilian Great, Cafu, a player who has to his credit 3 World Cup finals, 2 World Cup triumphs, the Scudetto and Champions League triumphs among other silverware and awards. Ronaldo’s angry glare was returned with an understanding smile from Cafu.
Also, he was involved in a nasty case in which he allegedly ‘showed his finger’ to Benefica fans at a match. On the pitch, aggression (something that he does not lack either) can be understood, but vulgarity crosses all the limits. This incident spoke a lot about his personality.
The biggest fault found in him today is his cheap act of diving to win free kicks and penalties. He has been repeatedly accused of diving in EPL matches and more recently, against Middlesbrough in November ’06 and against Tottenham Hotspurs in March ’07.
Probably, the main reason why he is so valued today is because he plays in the most watched league in the whole world, The English Premier League, watched by over 20 million people worldwide.
When they see him play well, they mistake him to be one of the best in the world rather than one of the best in England. They overlook other players in different leagues like Zlatan Ibrahimvic, Adriano, Pirlo, Kaka, Torres, Villa, Messi, Ribery and Juninho among others. This was the reason why Thierry Henry and recently, Didier Drogba have shot to fame and have been compared to the Greats of the game while better players exist in the world.
When we compare him with Ronaldinho, we find a lot of similarities in their careers. As Luiz Felipe Scolari (who has managed them both) said, “Ronaldinho had a steep rise in his career after the FIFA World Cup ’02, and Ronaldo has had a steep rise in his career after the EURO ’04 competition.�
But today, when many regard Ronaldinho as a hyped player after watching him being a flop in the 2006 World Cup, one wonders is this a similarity between them too? When we see them closely, we know that both of them play similar roles for their clubs and countries, and more or less, they play somewhat similar style of football. They both have their trademark entertaining styles and make the crowd go gaga over them.
But today, as Ronaldinho fails to shine in his bright yellow Brazilian jersey, many cite hype and resultant pressure as the main reason for his lack of form. Before Ronaldo falls victim to the same prey, we must grade him sensibly and not just over burden him with our expectations. We must remember that he is just a 22 year old budding star, not a 22 year old star.
Logically, he should not be regarded as more than the ‘new kid on the block’. If we give him this status, we could see a lot better and a lot more from him in the coming years.
The comparison with Ronaldinho justified, it is really sad when he is compared to the Brazilian living legend Ronaldo. The comparison, which started with the name, has today reached comparisons of skill and personality.
It is unfair to compare a young footballer to a player who has won innumerable laurels and trophies, scored 15 World Cup goals and what not. It feels bad when we have to mention the legend as Ronaldo (Brazilian) and not the youngster as Ronaldo (Portuguese).
Well, we sure have a lot more of him to see. Maybe, and hopefully, he will prove all his critics wrong and do justice to this image of his’. But as of today, we sure are just hyping him up, which could lead to all the wrong results.
He sure has the potential to be a great, but today, he is not one. The day has to wait when he earns the right to be inducted into the glorified list of the game’s elite.
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Discussion - 21 Responses
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. Give the boy a break. Hes 22 only. Hes loving his football now. He went through a tough time coming to this country. Didnt know how to speak English, he came off a small quite isolated island next to Portugal. He had no family except for his. His father died. Had no one to look up to and at that time only had Kleberson to talk to at Man Utd and ofcourse his father figure Quieroz. Now hes got used to premiership football and showing how quality he is. Ronaldinho is not a Ronaldo. Spanish league is completely different to Premiership. Like Henry, Ronaldo needed time to settle.
Sorry but this is a very poor and blinkered article.
I think the question you are asking is “Is he a great professional”, rather than “Is he a great player”.
Many great players have problems off the pitch (e.g. George Best). Are you saying Zidane was not a great player because he lost control and headbutted someone? and he was a generation older than Ronaldo at the time.
You will find that most attacking players go down to easily from time to time - Pires, Robben, Drogba and Henry did so embarrassingly obviously in the last World Cup and Rivaldo the world cup before that.
If you saw the Real Madrid vs Barcelona game last month (3-3) you will have seen more disgusting and blatant diving in that than in 2 months of EPL games.
Not to mention that the English game is a lot faster than that of Spain or Italy and most people who shine over there would struggle more in the EPL where they have much less time on the ball (e.g. Veron). Ronaldo is currently the best player in the EPL, which might not be the most skillful league in Europe but it is the fastest and hardest to shine in.
Did you see Cristiano Ronaldo take that penalty for Portugal in the World Cup that put them through against England? Clutch.
For all his faults, that’s what truely makes a great football player, performance under pressure. This is what seperates him from players like Ibrahimvic, Adriano and Torres. Is he the Brazilian Ronaldo, the World Cup scoring champion with numerous personal and team trophies? No. But it should be noted that a great number of players who have played with or against Cristiano Ronaldo have hailed him as one of the best in the world (see Owen Hargreaves column on BBC). That kind of praise is not hype, it’s respect.
Its really unfair to accuse such a young player of not always making the right decisions. Its kind of stupid to state the obvious, he is on one very steep learning curve and he is going to do stupid things from time to time but he has learnt from them. He used to roll around on the floor like a certain mr. drogba still does, but now he dusts himself off immediately and gets on with him. People accuse him of diving but he gets so many fouls that are deemed dives its riduculous and the Boro game where the player got a red card is an example of how he is treated. He was only chips, flicks and step overs, now he only uses it to waste time and get past a player. He was a pathetic crosser of the ball who had poor judgment but he is perhaps one of the best crossers of the ball now. He might have pushed cafu and protested against rooney but that shows me he gives his all for his team, any team he playes for. And while doing all that he has made himself the best player in the world. So do you really think i care that people think he is arrogant or vulgar ? Fuck that !
If anyone was bent towards finding faults in a player, Zidane would be a hot-headed terrorist or an unmanageable talent, Pele would be the product of media-hype and all conversations about Ronaldo (Brazilian) will start and end on his weight.
Stars are flawed, let’s accept that and move on.
You say hes not a great player because hes arrogant(he does cross th eline sometimes between arrogant and confident). But is that the reasoning in labeling him a greta player? Not at all. Maybe as a great professional,like someone said before, but what defines a great PLAYER is someone who no matter where he is on the field, has to be accounted for. A player that changes games by himself at the drop of a hat. And although he is an arrogant person on the field, people mistake his determination, drive, and heart for arrogance. Take, the push you spoke of before on Cafu. Ask anyone whose ever actually played soccer(or any sport for that matter) and theyll tell you veteran players will always try and use “dirty” or “cheap” tactics against you and how you can attribute that push as anything but inexperience, well then you must be a chelsea fan =). People call Rooney determined and driven but because hes English people seem to forget. I didnt see any english media complaining on that tumble he took against Portsmouth in the penalty area on Saturday. Roy Keane personified determination, drive, leadership more then anyone I can think of, yet when he ended Haalands career in 2001 with that horror tackle, noone said anything, this time not becasue he was english(hes irish), but because he was never th ebest player on the field, but played with the most heart(Or in this case, retribution).
And you brand him a diver. Basically, your falling in line with the rest of the idiots that make up the English media. Did you ever stop to think for one moment that maybe the reason that his “diving” gets so much attention is in fact because he is one of the best in the world at the moment? There is NO player like him anywhere right now, noone who plays like that from the right wing. Other players dive as part of their game(Robben, Drogba, [Insert any Spanish or Italian player here]) but dont get nearly as much headline space. But becasue he plays for Man U and everywhere he goes, opposition fans boo him because they wish they had a player like him on their team and cant stand how stupid he make speople look, he gets all the press coverage. Just because people will look for something to hate on him for.
Can’t work out whether this guy is merely being provocative to get a rise,or whether he is a hack without an original thought, requiring tabloid journalism to steer him. I would agree that Ron may have some way to go to be consistently classed as “best”, but some of his performaces have been dazzling, and it is frightening to think he is still improving and learning, and what the finished product may bring. That however does not stop him being the best at times right now. And look, consistent use of skill, not age or reputation determines the best. The list of other players mentioned range from very good to brilliant, but few deserve the accolade “best.”
I also take offense at the allegations of diving. These normally come out of the mouths of second rate footballers or managers of limited skill and intelligence, who have no clue how to defend against him and in the heat of the moment mouth off first and think later. You foul in the box with his speed and footwork and with the slightest touch intentional or not, you’re screwed!! NO use whining and moaning about it, they are penalties. The folks at Middlsborough are dishonest with themselves and dillusional with the facts. This then gets blown out of proportions by hack reporters in sleazy tabloids who remain unconcerned about “the facts” and more concerned about sales.
And by the way, why no mention about the 10 or more times per match when he is fouled and doesn’t get the call, or the 20 times a match he is clattered, and he comes back for more without all the mouthing and histrionics that most display. Ohhhh yes….if he is not the best, then he is pretty darned close to it, and the person who is better than this will truly deserve the title(Now show me who that is please!!!!).
I think this write-up isn’t well thought through at all. It’s like a half-boiled egg in places! Sample this…”The first major problem with Ronaldo is his arrogance”. Tell me if i’m wrong here, but the best players take pride in winning matches and winning over crowds. This manifests itself in many ways…Ronaldinho’s buck-toothed grin, for example. Sure Ronaldo seems a bit cocky at times. But I remember a certain Eric Cantona who was all swagger and bravado and he didn’t do too badly, did he? In the same breath, i don’t think Ron’s arrogant…he’s supremely confident, but certainly not arrogant. Muhammad Ali was arrogant, with good reason; Ayrton Senna, my favorite sportsman, was arrogant at times. You don’t see Cristiano mouthing off about beating a man repeatedly. You don’t see him saying he’s going to have a trophy-filled cabinet. So where does the arrogant bit come from? Tell me that much Varun…and please don’t tell me you’re mixing showboating with arrogance.
Statement 2: “Also, he was involved in a nasty case in which he allegedly ‘showed his finger’ to Benefica fans at a match.” Considering Ronaldo’s history with Lisbon, i’m not surprised benfica fans gave him stick. I find it very odd when fans are allowed to really get under the skin of players but players can’t react in any way at all. I think it’s one way traffic of the worst kind. In fact, i’m glad he responded the way he did. It shows passion and pride, as much for his performances on the pitch as for where he come from. I don’t want to see a mannequin struuting his stuff on the pitch. Give me fire and brimstone over a plain Jane any day.
I take exception to this uttering too; “they mistake him to be one of the best in the world rather than one of the best in England.” Are you watching all three leagues (namely the Serie A, La Liga and the Premiership?) Your premise is flawed in two respects. First of all, almost all those names are far more experienced (and older) than Cristiano, except Leo Messi, which means they’ve got the advantage of age on their side and they’ve hit their best years, which is why you’ve seen the best of them. That said, where were these guys when they were 21? Had you heard of Ronaldinho’s exploits at age 21? Of the players you mentioned, Only Kaka has made as big an impact at a similar age. And he’s also the only player to be playing as well as Ronaldo at the moment. None of those guys even compare at the moment. I’ll be surprised if Ron doesn’t feature for major awards come the end of the season.
And while I won’t complain about your saying that “it is really sad when he is compared to the Brazilian living legend Ronaldo”, you’ll have to learn to live with it Varun. As long as the tabloids hit the printing press, tongues will wag and comparisons are inevitable. Grin and bear it. The similarity of names doesn’t help, but that’s just the way it is.
Ok, rant over.
welcome to Soccerlens.
oh, and he’s not a diver…not anymore…that’s taddei! he should be on brazil’s olympic team. he’s steal it in a canter!
You got your response tonight with an awesome performance from Ronaldo against Roma.
i dont mind a bit of character if its backed up by performance on the pitch. Ronaldo is great and even though im not a man u fan, i love watching him play and hope to do so for a long time
By your definition of “greats’ then we can rule out Best and Maradona.
It was NOT a dive against Boro or Spurs and there was NO evidence to prove otherwise if you watched the analysis.
Why don’t you just save us the reading time and simply write “I hate Ronaldo”, because despite your poorly constructed attempt to dress it up as some kind of logical, factual or objective analysis of Ronaldo you have failed miserably.
Much older and wiser people than me are now stating that he is currently the BEST player in the World and base this on his outstanding performances and consistency over the past year. Regardless of age, arrogance or any other (irrelavent) point you want to make he is going to clean-up on the award front this season and probably for many more to come.
To answer the question, Ronaldo is NOT over-rated NOR over-hyped.
All footballers have their peak. No one can perform forever. No one also knows how long it will last. Ronaldo at this moment, is a great footballer. He will get better. Don’t know how much better and how long it will last, but he will.
Maradonna was a footballing ‘god’, today he can’t play to save his life. This is normal. Therefore, I feel the author’s comparisons with other players is silly at best.
One word - DIVER
Comment for A man
One word - JEALOUS
Come on you guys he is just a kid and he is playing well you cant say anything about him you never thought How hard is to live in manchester with english people and how difficult is to be good So Dont say about anything that you dont know what the hell is going on asshole
The recent accolades bestowed on Ronaldo speak for themselves. Among his colleagues, widespread digust with his sportsmanship would rule him out of the PFA award nominations. Now it appears the voting public give him their confidence as well. Ronaldo is a joy to watch, even when we observe those times when he forgets about the other nine players around him. Yet, veterans like Giggs and Scholes haven’t demanded that he tone down his flamboyance. Bert’s point about Zidane is well put; we can’t allow momentary outbursts to eclipse our perceptions of a player’s career. By the way, the Portuguese winger was the best young player at last year’s World Cup. The eponymous Brasilian is a legend, but past his prime. For those of us who choose to live in the present, there is only one Ronaldo.
Also, a player offering little more than dazzling footwork will not often lead the EPL in assists; this season’s statistics should give pause to those who complain that Ronaldo’s eloborate skills disguise a lack of substance.
Elaborate*
This is maybe a little OTT but what is Ronaldos problem? He does this time and time again…..when he scored on Sun 23 March at OT, shaking his head like he’d been denied a penalty brushing aside the fact that he scored?!? He really does have a God given talent but shall never walk amongst the true legends of football as he totally encompasses all thats bad about the game that so many of us love.
He is arrogant, petty and spiteful he loves showmanship it just reeks of not being among the real and humble usually very HUMBLE true legends of football.
His talent is simply thwarted by this…………………imo