The success of Ronaldo shows there is no alternative to hard work

There was once a time, not so long ago, when Wayne Rooney andCristiano Ronaldo were both young players at Manchester United and there was a genuine debate about who would turn out to be the better player. The notion is laughable now, of course, in the wake of Ronaldo’s second Ballon d’Or. He secured the first in 2008, while still a United player, and it is safe to say that without the existence of one Lionel Messi, there is every chance the Portuguese star would have won the award seven times in a row. His consistency is remarkable and if sympathy is a word one can apply to a handsome multimillionaire with such a remarkable talent, one has to feel he deserves at least a modicum of pity for occupying the same era as arguably the greatest player ever to have drawn breath.

While Messi’s talent seems almost otherworldly, Ronaldo’s has been honed through sheer hard work. When Rooney was relaxing over the summer months with scant regard for his diet or fitness regime, his erstwhile teammate was relentless. Rumour has it the forward does somewhere in the region of 3000 sit-ups per day. While lesser men might have accepted they were beaten by the best, he was unwavering in his belief that he could once again be crowned the world’s best footballer.

In a strange way, Ronaldo does not get his due. Some complain he is a flat-track bully and yet his record in the biggest games is exemplary. He might not glide around the pitch in the mesmerising manner of Messi or Maradona but he is still the complete attacking player, good with both feet, astonishing in the air and a set-piece expert to boot. He has won titles in England and Spain, not to mention the Champions League. He has dragged a pretty mediocre Portugal side to one World Cup semi-final, one European Championship final and a penalty shoot-out away from beating Spain and booking a place in another in 2012. The notion that he is Salieri to Messi’s Mozart does a grave disservice to one of the game’s all time greats.

Rather than relishing this golden age for the sport, people prefer the black and white, tabloid depiction of the loveable little Argentine pitted against his bitter and envious foe. In truth, there are times at which Ronaldo seems humbler than his adversary but such instances are not good for the narrative. The man’s unpopularity in some quarters, whether it be a result of his looks, physique or the fact that he used to play for United, beggars belief. What’s better, The Sopranos or the Wire? The Office or Alan Partridge? Ronaldo or Messi? Who cares, let’s just enjoy it while we can.