Ronaldo Who??

Whilst we all debate senselessly about who is better Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, Pelé or Maradonna, even Lampard or Gerrard, what annoys me the most is the possibility that most people have forgotten about the Brazilian-born Ronaldo. The original, the El Fenomeno, the one who mastered and brought Brazilian street football to the greatest stages of world football, the man who twisted the ligaments and limbs of defenders by showcasing impossible skills, leaving them on their backsides and just like a good old ‘Looney Tunes’ cartoon featuring the road runner, Ronaldo would have been long gone, escaping the line of sight, sinking into the horizon before the defender would have been able to get back up on his feet and allow his internals to readjust. Although, I doubt that Ronaldo would have clucked a cheeky ‘beep-beep’ or leave a trail of dust behind before accelerating at insane speeds. But we can’t have everything.

The internet is a vast place, used by English professors, universities and philosophers on a daily basis to succumb words that are unimaginable, words that would be used in journals, books and lectures etc. The internet then should be a wonderful source of superlatives to describe Ronaldo, but, through hours on end searching for those words to humble the man, I found to my dismay that most superlatives have already been used to describe most legends of football, past and present. ‘Ridiculous’ how about that? In the sense that he would illustrate insane skills on every football stage whether it would be street, league or world cup. Insane skills that would leave everyone watching with the same question on their lips; “How on earth did he do that??” the same question that’s asked by people who didn’t see it; because they blinked.

However, maybe it’s me; maybe I’m the one missing the point. A friend of mine feels the same way, but he justifies it by saying Ronaldo is simply in a league above everyone else. It’s like in Chemistry when a standard is used, for example, to measure the pH of a substance a universal indicator is used, so, when the results of the substance are obtained, the colours would be compared to the pH chart. Is that what it is? Is Ronaldo the standard which has been calibrated to its optimum potential and that all the other players are simply substances, stuff that is just compared to ultimate? Or is he just a forgotten hero?

Ronaldo’s sparkling record speaks for itself; 2 world cups, 3 times player of the year, a trophy or more won for every club he has played for except AC Milan, and we all know that was because he was plagued with injuries. Both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are seen as burdens when playing for their international sides, neither have won world cups and Pele himself declared; “I think a 'great' player is defined by their performances at the World Cup.” Pele is noted down in the history books as a ‘great’ due to the fact that he has won 3 world cups and scored over 1000 goals, remarkable I agree, however, Pele didn’t play in Europe which has been the ultimate stage for any legend in every era.

Furthermore, personality wise I respect the players who are humble, down to earth but still have a winning mentality. Messi has it, Socrates had it and Ronaldo Nazário implemented it. A documentary based on Ronaldo’s life and footballing career strengthened my adoration for him. In 1994 when Ronaldo was just 17 and had joined PSV with help from Brazilian legend Romario, Ronaldo was interviewed after signing for the club and was asked how much goals he was going to score in his first season, Ronaldo replied without any hesitation or a hint of arrogance “30 goals”. Guess what? Yeah you guessed it, in his first season in Holland, Ronaldo scored 30 league goals, was the top scorer in the 1995 season and won the Dutch cup in the 1996 season.

I know that you people may be thinking, ‘so, do you want us to compare him to others and scrutinise him then?’ no I don’t, the fact remains that Ronaldo is, in my opinion, and without trying to use any clichés, the best player to ever walk on earth (spot the cliché?). But, I just hope that nobody forgets the guy as he was a complete footballer and human being aswell. PS. I know he isn’t dead!

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