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Cristiano Ronaldo will not go away. Growing old gracefully is not on the agenda for the near-42-year-old, whose actions over the international break have divided Portugal and left the Manchester United and Real Madrid legend apparently furious at anyone who dares hint that time is starting to catch up on him.
It’s a story well established, but to recap: Ronaldo left the Portugal camp following a Nations League defeat to Norway. He claims that he was promised pitch time by head coach Jorge Jesus and was left insulted by being forced to warm up for 25 minutes without featuring.
Meetings followed and newspaper columns were written, but ultimately, Ronaldo flew out and would not return. Instead, he composed a near 2000-word statement that was published shortly before his long-time adversary Lionel Messi enjoyed his dignified farewell with the Argentina national team by scoring a penalty in victory over Benin.
The fallout, however, continues. Ronaldo’s international future is once again under question ahead of November’s fixtures, with his faith in Jesus apparently shattered.
But while all this rages on, it’s worth considering just how we ever came to this point.
Ronaldo’s PR team have let him down
Ronaldo’s PR over the course of the last fortnight has managed to portray him as little more than a manchild who requires validation and praise at every turn. Anyone who takes another view is dismissed as a hater with an anti-Ronaldo agenda.
“He should have better help at his stature of celebrity,” respected journalist Andy Brassell told TalkSport on the subject of Ronaldo’s statement, in which the Al-Nassr striker explicitly compared himself to all-time greats Pele and Diego Maradona.
“You know, this has had to go through loads of people around him who are hopefully advising him on PR, going, even if you do think these things, this looks just terrible… It’s not got any redeeming features.
“You definitely need someone to tell him, look, come on, man. You know, in the week that Messi is retiring in a blaze of glory from international football, don’t put this out. Just don’t put it out.”
But the trouble is, Ronaldo does not want anyone around him giving him that advice. If he does, they have been ignored.
He even has his own propaganda broadcast outlet in the form of Piers Morgan, who appears willing to do the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s bidding at the first sign of trouble.
When Ronaldo was pushed to the side by Erik ten Hag at Man Utd, it was Morgan he delivered the bombshell interview to, and sure enough, the journalist has gone out to bat for him on social media after this latest crisis, with the promise of further revelations to come. Of course, the story from the footballer’s perspective goes largely unchallenged.
From the outside looking in, it appears that Ronaldo has surrounded himself with sycophants and zealots, so is it any wonder he continues to believe that he is still the player he once was when he was setting scoring records at Man Utd and Real Madrid?
He remains the world’s best-paid player with Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, where he is still treated as if he were the world’s best player.
In Ronaldo’s world, it seems, the only person who is not telling him how great he is is Jorge Jesus.
Ronaldo faces increased Homelander comparisons
On social media, memes comparing Ronaldo to narcissistic superhero Homelander from ‘The Boys’ have become irresistible. Dying his hair a lighter shade has only increased these comparisons.
But while fans only get to see the public face of Ronaldo’s apparent struggles played out in press conferences and the curated forum of social media, the Amazon Prime series showcases Homelander’s extreme mental fragility as he battles with the realisation that he is not universally loved and respected.
One can only hope that, behind closed doors, Ronaldo is not as fragile as his increasingly Homelander-like public persona suggests.
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