Why Isn’t Cristiano Ronaldo More Well-liked?

Sunday’s Euro 2016 Final will feature one of the greatest to ever play the game of soccer.  Yet for all of the talent that Cristiano Ronaldo has, he has more than his share of anti-fans.  So I have to ask – why isn’t he more well-liked?

There are several world-class athletes from the last 35 years who have had their share of people who dislike them for various reasons.  Barry Bonds’ abrasive personality makes him tough to like.[1]  Alex Rodriguez can come off as a spoiled prima donna.  There are fans out there who believe Michael Jordan “got all of the calls” because he sold tickets.  Cam Newton has been called a sore loser and a showboat.  Some of the baseball purists didn’t like Ken Griffey Jr. when he came into the league because they felt that his propensity to wear his hat backwards during batting practice was disrespectful to the game of baseball.  There are those who feel that Tom Brady is a surfer-boy who can get away with anything and cheated his way to success.  Some think that Curt Schilling is an attention hog.  I have claimed time and time again that John Elway is one of the most arrogant players ever to play in the NFL, and I am certainly not the only one who feels that way.  The list could go on and on.

Then there is Cristiano Ronaldo.  He is on my list of the five greatest outfield players[2] of my lifetime (I’m 36).[3]  He is one of the two best Portuguese players ever, with the late Eusébio being the other (and Luis Figo being the third).  He’s the best all-around player who is currently active.  I’ll let my brother’s description of him serve as the evidence:

He has speed, superb skill, can hit a bullet free-kick, can shoot from distance, poach, and is excellent in the air.  Who was that well-rounded?

Of the people who have played in my lifetime, only Zlatan Ibrahimović was – or is, since he’s still playing – that well-rounded of a player, but there are few – if any – who will claim that Ibrahimović is the better player of the two.  And yet there is a pretty sizable faction out there that dislikes Ronaldo.  But why?

Is he a showboat?  Not really.  Is he disrespectful to the game of soccer?  No.  Does he “get all of the calls?”  Absolutely not.  In fact, it seems like there is at least one occurrence per game of him getting clobbered without a foul being called.[4] [5]  Is he a jerk?  Not at all.  In fact, it is well-documented that he is very kind and very generous.  If you do a Google search, you’ll find several examples of his kindness and generosity.[6]

The only reason that I can find is that he is viewed as arrogant and unsportsmanlike.  This one I can definitely see, and I agree with it somewhat.  For one, I really did not appreciate his antics in the 2006 World Cup quarterfinals against England, and I am definitely not the only one who feels this way.[7]  I also did not appreciate his antics after Portugal tied their game with Iceland a few weeks ago.[8]  I’m sure there are other examples that I can’t think of at the moment.[9]

Love him or hate him, he has a huge chance to cement his legacy later today when his country faces France for the Euro championship.  If Portugal beats France – in the Stade de France, no less, before 80,000 screaming fans – then it will be a tremendous boost to his resume.  If they do win, maybe Ronaldo will be gracious in victory, and people will see who he truly is – and maybe people will appreciate him more and realize how much of a privilege it really is to see him play.

[1] Ok, I was trying to be kind.  I’ll be blunt instead.  He’s a jerk, and it is well-known throughout baseball circles.

[2] For those who aren’t familiar with soccer terms, an “outfield player” is anyone other than a goalie.

[3] My top five, in alphabetical order:  Paolo Maldini, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Zinedine Zidane.  I’m only including people whose primes occurred in my lifetime.

[4] I can think of at least two times in this Euro (once against Wales and once against Poland) where he has been mauled without a foul being called, and I didn’t blame him for being upset.

[5] I have been critical of how theatrical his protests can get, I know.  But the more I’ve thought about it, there were times where he was justifiably upset.  Referees still don’t appreciate it when a player reacts the way he does, and those types of protests tend to go unheeded…and that was my point in those other posts.

[6] My personal favorite happened when a visibly nervous Japanese teenage boy was speaking to him in Portuguese on stage in front of a crowd.  His pronunciation was a little off at times, and he spoke it rather slowly, but he was speaking it correctly.  Some people in the crowd were laughing and poking fun at the young man.  CR turned to the crowd, stuck up for the young man, and scolded the crowd.

[7] In the 62nd minute, Wayne Rooney – Ronaldo’s club teammate at Manchester United at the time – stomped on Ricardo Carvalho’s groin after Carvalho had hit the deck as the two fought for the ball.  Ronaldo sprinted to Referee Horacio Elizondo (who also sent off Zinedine Zidane in the final after the infamous headbutt) and vehemently demanded that Rooney be sent off, which is what happened.  After the send-off, Ronaldo winked at the Portuguese bench with a wry smile.  During the entire 2006-07 Premier League season, Ronaldo was soundly booed in every English stadium – including that of his own team.

[8] After the game, he mocked Iceland for joyously celebrating the tie game.  He also refused the Iceland captain’s offer to exchange jerseys after the game.  How can that look like anything other than sour grapes?

[9] But then again – Babe Ruth was pretty arrogant, too, and he was close to universally loved.