UEFA Euro 2012: Cristiano Ronaldo On The Cusp Of Greatness

By Nipun Malhotra
12 years Ago

“Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” ai??i?? Shakespeare

There are others as well; men who take it upon themselves to reach the zenith of their respective field with the single mindedness and dedication that transcend boundaries of possibility. Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is on his way, turning stones thrown in his way into milestones, silencing doubters and capturing the imagination of football world as he sets his eye on bringing glory to an expectant nation.

Itai??i??s not about Portugal they say, itai??i??s about pampering his bludgeoning ego ai??i?? one which is already the size of a continent. Yes, Ronaldo wants to prove himself above all others; this has always been his lifelong ambition. Nothing short of being the best will satisfy his self-evaluation. But, it has never been to the deterrent of any of the teams Ronaldo has represented- the successes of Manchester United and Real Madrid are a testament. On the contrary, the Portugueseai??i??s undying belief and drive fuels his team mates.

ItAi??hasn’tAi??always been all smooth sailing; in fact, Ronaldo is no stranger to adversity. Born in Funchal, Madeira, the youngest of four children, named after the famous American President Ronald Reagan, he was hardly born with a silver spoon. His father however, had a dream for his prodigy; a dream which Ronaldo was destined to fulfill. Ronaldoai??i??s father, kit man at a small local club, Andorinha, introduced his son to the club captain Fernao Sousa and history beckoned.

Sousa, now well renowned as Ronaldoai??i??s god father, saw something rare in the boy and soon the islandai??i??s top teams ai??i?? MarAi??timo and Nacional ai??i?? both declared an interest. Legend has it, MarAi??timo, the bigger of the two clubs allegedly failed to offer the two sets of kit Andorinha wanted in return for Cristiano; although, Sousa reckons Ronaldoai??i??s move to Nacional was inspired by ai???family tiesai??i??.

That one year spell at Nacional catapulted his progress and backing on Ronaldoai??i??s brilliance the club won the Under-12 regional youth championship for the first time in the clubai??i??s history. Ronaldo had now outgrown his Madeira as Lisbon came calling. It was a move which benefited all parties concerned; Sporting had a world beater amongst their ranks while Nacional were able to pay off their debts.

Ronaldo now had a stage worthy of his pedigree. The clubai??i??s academy ai??i?? the Alocochete ai??i?? is a veritable ai???football factoryai???, and the player received first-class instruction at the state-of-the-art institution. Luminaries like Luis Figo, Luis Boa Morte honed their skill at this very place, and clearly Cristiano Ronaldo was at the right place at the right time.

Invariably there were more hurdles to cross for the teenage sensation; the biggest of them would be coping with a ai???Racing heart conditionai??i??. Ronaldo overcame yet another roadblock like he would do for years to come; nothing it seemed would ever stop him in his bid to achieve his holy grail.

When things are meant to be, destiny leaves no stone unturned in making it come true. The year was 2003, and Manchester United entered into a ai???developmentai??i?? partnership with Sporting club Lisbon. Coincidently, Carlos Queiroz, the former Sporting coach was now Sir Alex Fergusonai??i??s ai???man Fridayai??i??.

The Red Devils thwarted the advances of Liverpool and Arsenal to sign the most high profile youngster in world football at that moment of time. Yet again, Ronaldo made the right call by choosing to further his progress under the stewardship of Alex Ferguson. From the moment he adorned the red of United against Bolton on that epochal afternoon at Old Trafford, the rest of the world knew the 18 year old had greatness bestowed upon him. Sky is the limit they say; for Ronaldo it is the bare minimum.

From then on, CR7, fondly addressed by his fans, has made excellence a habit and brilliance his middle name. His exploits are well known and celebrated since that glorious debut at the Theatre of Dreams to this day.

There however remained a bit of patch on his completeness, a gap to mend before the name Ronaldo became synonymous with perfection. Ronaldo needed to perform at the same level for his country and do it when it really, really mattered. A cross both the two geniuses of contemporary football, Messi and Ronaldo, have come to bare.

Ronaldo had done his bit in his very first international tournament of reckoning ai??i?? Euro 2004, but the masses and critics are known to have short memories especially when it comes down to reinforcing their agendas. Nevertheless, even Ronaldoai??i??s fans would admit, the Portuguese sensation could have contributed more for the national side.

Circa 2012 and Cristiano Ronaldo bludgeoned all scoring records in his wake for Real Madrid, even scoring at the home of the most despised rival and taking the league crown back to Bernabeu. Lionel Messi’s performances matched and some may say eclipsed Ronaldoai??i??s since his move to Madrid, but this isnai??i??t about the Argentine magician.

In fact, the duo can co-exist and there is absolutely no need to belittle one to prove the otherai??i??s greatness. Perhaps the presence of a Lionel Messi is essential for a Cristiano Ronaldo and vice versa- two great athletes stretching each other to the limit in pursuit of their footballing nirvana.

Messiai??i??s chance to emulate his iconic countryman, the great El Diego will surely come, but this might just be Ronaldoai??i??s tryst with legendary status; it just feels like itai??i??s meant to be on so many counts.

After a not so impressive start against Germany, the knives were out once again. The Danish fans mocking the Portuguese by chanting the name of you-know-who proved a nadir and Ronaldo has been a different animal since. Or perhaps, the beast we knew he could be.

After the systematic demolition of one of the pre-tournament favorites Holland, Ronaldo leaped high against the Czech to drag his country to a European championship semi final. Now, a much familiar foe awaits in the form of European and World champion- Spain. In Ronaldoai??i??s way, stand his team mates from Madrid and his perennial adversaries from Catalunya.

Ronaldo needs Portugal to work with him and for him at times, relieving him of any defensive duties and allowing him to unleash his full repertoire without any inhibitions. Spain however, will easily be his toughest test yet.

Ronaldoai??i??s time is here though and this represents an opportunity like no other to earmark his names in the annals of history for posterity. CR7 will have his chance or probably create one out of nowhere and as clichAi??d as it may sound he seems a man on a mission. Can Ronaldo pull of his miracle mission? No pressure Ronaldo; mere history knocking on your doorsteps.

Categories: COVER STORY, Euro 2012, UEFA

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