Division is a funny thing. Most people loathe it but it exists everywhere. Sometimes, even the ones that despise it become exponents of it. It seems like forming divisions is in our DNA—this is perhaps why Britain's ‘divide and rule’ philosophy worked so well and allowed them to colonise most of the world.
When it comes to division, no other footballer has a more divided viewpoint from the public like Cristiano Ronaldo does.
The former Manchester United man has been constantly bombarded with praise and criticism alike in his long and illustrious career. He might not pay much attention to them--working his socks off all the while in an attempt to be the best--but after all these years, the question still beckons: Is Cristiano Ronaldo selfish?
Cristiano Ronaldo’s upbringing
Growing up in a poverty-stricken environment in Madeira, Cristiano Ronaldo had football to comfort him among the atrocities. His love for the game was such that he slept with the ball at night and went to play the game as soon as he got an opportunity.
And, oh boy, he played. Be it with elders or kids of his age group, he played—regardless of when or where or against whom. He just played. Since his standard was well beyond kids of his own age-group, he preferred playing along with seniors.
All of us know what happens when one plays among boys that are older in age.
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First and foremost, the refusal to pass the ball to a junior is the most prevalent. The ego factor is huge here and it wasn’t any different with the Real Madrid man. As a child, he was bullied by older kids for his superior skills even while playing with them.
As he was not on the receiving end of many passes, he made sure he did as much as he could when he got the ball at his feet—which was to dribble past as many as he could and score.
It was this individualistic ability that caught the eye of the scouts and got him a chance at his first club, Andorinha, and the rest, as they say, is history.
A mud pot once forged can’t be reshaped again, unless you break it. Cristiano Ronaldo had, by now, become a player who loved dribbling around defenders while racing into the box—this was now in his DNA.
So his absolute resolution to change the course of the game by himself is not something he does as an attempt to show-off—it is just how he is, just how he is used to playing.
On the other hand, football is a team sport—and, sometimes, this natural inclination of his goes over the top.
There could be three reasons for this. One, he believes more in himself scoring rather than his teammate (who is in a better position). Two, he is so focused on scoring that the awareness of someone being in a better position eludes him. Three, his highly competitive nature.
A fierce, competitive nature
In the football fraternity, Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the most competitive player in the world. The fact that he doesn’t like missing a single second of action is a testament to that fact.
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In fact, his ex-girlfriend Irina Shayk once claimed that they often competed against each other in the swimming pool and even there the Portuguese hated it when he lost to the Russian model.
This fierce nature is what makes him strive for long hours at training and then in the gym (his thigh muscles are perfect proof of how much hard work he puts in) or, the likeliest of reasons with history as a testament, it is an amalgamation of the aforementioned three reasons.
It is not like he doesn’t pass to his teammates at all. In fact, his assist numbers ever since he joined Real Madrid has been impressive. In his first season, he could only muster 7 assists in all competitions.
However, after that, Ronaldo has always managed to create at least 10 goals-per-season for his teammates. Last season, he racked up 20 assists--the most from any Real Madrid player. Currently, he leads the assist charts for the Blancos for this season with 15 under his name.
People claim that Lionel Messi is selfless—he is, indeed. He prefers passing to his teammate in a better position instead of taking a shot by himself, even though, given his superior skills, he is just as likely to score.
What people forget, however, is that the Argentine has been with Barca ever since he was 13-years old and has been brought up in a surrounding that oozes the ethos of pass-and-move more than any other club.
For the Argentine, it is this tiki-taka that has been enmeshed in his system—he was built around it, moulded by it, this is as natural to him as breathing is to humans.
The differences in backgrounds of the two best players in the world made them the stars that they are today. Cristiano’s style is individualistic, no doubt, but what people forget is the background of his football upbringing—something that made him the player that he is today.
However, there are times when he could be a little less self-centered and show more faith in his teammates—especially on the subject of taking direct free-kicks—because by the time he ends his career, it will be the team trophies that will please him more than the individual medals.
