There’s not often a lot of a cause to really feel sorry for Cristiano Ronaldo. Guys who make $220 million a yr and strut and swagger and flex their eight-pack do not sometimes elicit that sort of sympathetic vibe.
Yet because the Portuguese famous person prepares for what we assume can be his last worldwide event — though we have thought, believed and written that earlier than — he’s maybe extra deserving of sympathy than at any time earlier than.
With the European Championships looming (solely on FOX and FS1, starting June 14), Ronaldo is in an odd and unprecedented spot, now the B-side amongst soccer’s final alphas, caught beneath the treadwheels of the Lionel Messi phenomenon.
Where there was as soon as a heated dialogue about their respective greatness, Messi’s World Cup victory in 2022 cemented him as this technology’s undisputed pound-for-pound champion, regardless of Ronaldo heavyweight checklist of achievements.
What’s extra, the Argentinean has additionally overwhelmingly triumphed in the two-man recognition contest. People root for Messi. Often as not, folks root for Ronaldo to lose.
Is that truthful? Come on, since when was soccer fandom about what was truthful?
“I do think Cristiano has been disrespected,” Ronaldo’s former Manchester United teammate, Polish goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak instructed OLBG. “There is all this discuss concerning who is healthier between him and Messi.
“I had the prospect to coach with him and play with him for a few years. He has confirmed the whole lot in (soccer), wherever he has been. He has at all times been efficient and proven he could be a chief. He deserves 100-percent respect.”
No question about it, Ronaldo seeks the spotlight, relishes the drama, and thrives on being at the center of it all. Messi, far more quiet, reserved and private off the field, brings a different energy that leaves him less exposed to criticism.
Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo?
Even their dueling late-career adventures appear to be heading on different tracks. Messi began his Inter Miami journey in spectacular fashion, with a stunning last-second free kick in his debut, then won the Leagues Cup. Now he has Inter at the top of the MLS standings while topping the assists chart.
Ronaldo, whose surprise move to Saudi Arabia sparked a mass influx of talent into that country’s Pro League, has found things more difficult. His loaded Al-Nassr squad will finish a distant second to league champion Al-Hilal when the season wraps at the end of this month.
Regardless, it is time, right now, and in advance of Portugal’s campaign at the Euros in Germany this summer, to cut Ronaldo some slack.
The mere fact that the 39-year-old will be in action at the Euros is an eye-opener, especially when framed against the tortured 2022 World Cup that seemed to have ended his national team career.
That he will be heading into the event still in a cherished position as his country’s go-to contributor and the primary reason behind Portugal’s spectacular qualifying campaign? That deserves to be recognized for precisely what it is — a modern soccer miracle.
“No one would have begrudged (Portugal head coach) Roberto Martinez coming in and saying, ‘that is the time, that is the second for (Ronaldo) to go,” FOX soccer analyst and former United States nationwide staff defender Alexi Lalas instructed me through phone.
“Instead, he has carried out the alternative and ingratiated him and rejuvenated him on the worldwide stage. I nonetheless assume Ronaldo has one thing to provide. This model of Portugal is dynamic, thrilling and energetic, and if you happen to get Ronaldo to purchase into the very fact it’s not all about him, that is large.”
Portugal was a sensation during the qualification campaign, as the only nation to attain a perfect record — 10 games, 10 wins, 10 goals for Ronaldo.
It will start its Euros schedule by taking up the Czech Republic in Group F on June 18, earlier than assembly Turkey and shock qualifier Georgia.
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Martinez squashed any concerns about Ronaldo playing his soccer in the Saudi league instead of one of Europe’s top divisions when he met with reporters after naming his squad this week.
“As for Cristiano Ronaldo, I feel it’s higher to speak about statistics,” Martinez said. “A participant who scores 42 targets in 41 video games for his membership reveals continuity, a bodily capability to at all times be match, and high quality in entrance of purpose that we like and wish.”
Whatever disrespect Ronaldo might be feeling from external factors, there’s none of it within the Portugal camp, which he will represent for an 11th time in a major tournament, and a sixth time in the Euros.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.
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