Cristiano Ronaldo is a very-very expressive person, much more expressive than you would expect a player so used winning trophies, individual or as a team. It just says how much it means to him, every single time. So, as we saw him pocket his fourth Ballon d'Or (I was tempted to use the word potentially, but not tempted enough) screaming and doing everything he can on the touchline during the Euro finals, urging him team forward till they went the last metre.
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He is the perfectionist at dividing opinion, you love him or hate him, you can't ignore he just wrote his name beside the likes of Zidane, Platini, Cruyff in the European folklore. To be honest, fifteen years on, we won't probably remember any other player from the team, and this will be his legacy.
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It is difficult to point a finger at what makes him so entertaining, whether it's his personality, his ego, his weird celebration or his affinity for taking off his shirt. We look at a few instances when he defined the kind of person he is, and what makes him CR7.
1. Always has time for a selfie
To be honest, I love Cristiano Ronaldo wound up, he seems like he his going to cry every time he misses a chance. So what do you think he will be like after a game where he missed a potentially match-winning penalty?
Apparently, all smiles and patiently waiting for a fan to reboot his phone so that his camera starts working. It was so heartwarming to see him stop the officials from taking the young fan away, much more so when you see the expression on the young kid's face when he walks away with the selfie of his life. It was exactly how Ronaldo looked when he raised the trophy for Portugal.
“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong” Joseph Chilton Pearce.
Before the Portugal Wales game, a mascot decided to be creative and brave, he walked into the pitch beside the biggest stars in football, but he had his eye on Mr Cristiano, and after photo bombing the Portugal team picture, he was rewarded with a hug and a pose for a selfie. To be honest I envy that kid a little bit. (Okay, a lot).
Tantrums and tiaras
Remember the anger when your mum promised to buy candy for you and after coming back home she nonchalantly told you that she forgot. That was Cristiano Ronaldo after conceding the second and third goal against Hungary. He jumped in the air he flapped his arms around, and he called for his mum (just kidding).
Ahh, the famous throwing the mike in the pool scene, this was hands down one of the most hilarious of the recent incidents I have seen captured on camera. It is just even funnier when you watch the expression on Cristiano Ronaldo's after he did it. I won't tell you, go and watch it here.
Team-mates and opponents alike
These are for the football respect compilations Youtube. But, there is something extremely liberating about seeing a player going to an opponent and congratulating them for the game they played, giving them a hug and whatever they do to stop them from crying.
After the match between Ronaldo and Bale, Wales vs Portugal, Ronaldo went to his disappointed Real Madrid team-mate and showed him his support, just like he did to Modric after the heartbreaker of a loss Croatia endured at 117th minute of the game.
Last but no the least, him giving his silver boot award to Nani. The once Manchester United teammates admirably led the Portuguese at the Euros, and Nani for his part was brilliant after taking on the captain's armband from the Real Madrid man. I am not sure he deserved the boot, but he seemed happy after having it.
O Captain my Captain
One of the most defining moments of the Euros saw Cristiano Ronaldo pepping Joao Moutinho up for a penalty against Poland. Moutinho had missed a penalty in Euro 2012 and was trying to do his best impression of the escape artist, but Ronaldo spots him on the touchline and tell shim to take the penalty. Read about the full incident here.
Rafael Gurriero seemed to have done his hamstring during the game against France, with around ten minutes on the board, it would mean that Portugal would be down to ten men and that in itself is sometimes a huge psychological advantage. Ronaldo walks off to Rafael and tells him to stay on the pitch as a left winger, and sure enough, he made an interception (not the most crucial, but he did).
Then pointing to the watch, I thought Fergie had the copyright on that one, but it looked good on him.
His heart is on his face
Some people wear their hearts on their sleeves, but whatever goes on in Cristiano Ronaldo's mind, can be easily seen on his face. Him on the ground and crying his eyes out was one of the most defining images in the competition (the moth helped), the hurt and disappointment on his face as he was carried out would have got a tear out of the most neutral of neutrals.
Alas! He came back, hopping, but with the energy and vigour, he brings to the game of football. Much like he does for every time a free kick is awarded his body language only says he has never missed one. How many times have we failed at something an not tried again, there seems to be nothing like that in the encyclopaedia of Cristiano Ronaldo. His ego just doesn't allow it, his happiness while lifting the trophy was so infectious, and boy he deserved it.
What a guy.
