I am a Portuguese football supporter. I have been forever. I love the greats like Eusebio, Domingos, Costa, and of course Figo. These men have defined Portuguese Football for decades. Some more dominant than others however all in their own way great. One man however is not bringing great honor to the history of Portugal. That man is Cristiano Ronaldo.
Without going into his history and where he’s from let me just say Ronaldo is good, as a matter of fact he possesses great skill. He is the number 7 for the great Manchester United for a reason. However make no mistake, dawning the number 7 does not make you David Beckham and never once will he come close to being considered in the same league as the great Eric Cantona. My gripe with Ronaldo is his heart. Football is all about heart. Joga Bonito meaning “Play Beautiful” is something that true players possess in their heart. Football is beautiful and when a player decides to play dirty he doesn’t only shame himself but he shames the entire sport.
It is no secret Ronaldo is notorious for diving. He has received “a few” penalties in his day for deliberately diving to the ground to try and generate a foul. Often times this works and it makes me ashamed to be a supporter. Yes I want my team to win but I want to win with honor. Ronaldo takes this way from me. During the Euro 2008 tournament he hit the ground, a player crossed his path and he began to twist and turn screaming in pain. He was insinuating that the player had kicked or stepped on his leg and thus a penalty was given. Upon replay we saw nothing of the sort as the other player was no where near his legs. What a disgrace.
Ronaldo is better at football than I will ever be however he lacks heart and as King Eric Cantona said “Without heart you cannot play this game”. I hope for his sake, and the sake of his team and fans he starts taking his game serious. It is not about the money and the girls. Football is all about heart. Stop diving. Great skill, no honor.
Video to support can be found here.
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