Perhaps a small section of supporters within Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu are on to something. For the opening 75 minutes of Real’s second leg match against Bayern Munich, Cristiano Ronaldo, by his own standards and those of Real Madrid and all that jazz, cut a forlorn figure like only he can.
In these moments he looks less like a footballer and more like the man you see in his ads for undies, blankets and perfume: a polished, preened and perfected but extremely solitary man trying to find his way through the bushes or an alien spacecraft while making facial expressions and gestures that seem crafted to be captured on film.
So Ronaldo’s touches began to be greeted by whistles from a small section of the Bernabeu — a remarkable act of supporter narrow-mindedness but one that’s happened regularly over the last couple of years.
But, as is always the case in Ronaldo’s endless quest of scoring goals, collecting accolades and selling swag, CR7 scored a hat trick and probably angered that small section even more by telling them to stop. This small section of supporters is obviously wildly contrarian.
Ronaldo's 101st career goal in European competition briefly gave Real Madrid a 3-2 aggregate lead. #UCL #RMAFCB https://t.co/n9Pmtg9xBa
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 18, 2017
Is this the goal to send Real through to another #UCL semifinal? If it was, Ronaldo sure looked offside #RMAFCB https://t.co/kSICrpL3nm
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 18, 2017
Take another look at Ronaldo's 100th #UCL goal.
(Was that one offside too? ) https://t.co/XdGWHrCpDw— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 18, 2017
“I don’t tell them to be quiet, never, I only ask them not to whistle because I always give my best in every game. Even if I don’t score goals, I try to work hard to help Real Madrid,” said Ronaldo after the match. “I don’t know who doubts Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Real Madrid dressing room celebrates and congratulates Cristiano Ronaldo's hattrick pic.twitter.com/zgAYrlSYDI
— Real Madrid Videos (@RMadridVideos) April 19, 2017
He doesn’t know, but he loves them for it. “Your love makes me strong, your hate makes me unstoppable” is the quote most usually attached to Ronaldo — it’s even one that he has adorning the walls of his new chain of Ronaldo-centric hotels.
He’s a freak of nature in so many ways, but the way in which he responds to the criticism of others is unsurpassed. That’s why he transformed himself under the tutelage of Alex Ferguson and why the 2006-07 EPL season, the one in which he was booed throughout England following his role in the country’s elimination at the 2006 World Cup, served as his breakthrough.
Many expected him to quit Manchester United to avoid the scorn of the English press or the vitriol sent his way at away grounds, but he responded by scoring 23 goals in 53 matches, which were both career bests for him.
The scrutiny he’s under only grows with age (there’ll be no end to the think pieces about how Ronaldo’s game has changed and why he doesn’t dribble anymore over the next few years), but he remains the world’s foremost danger man. “I don’t know who doubts Cristiano Ronaldo,” says Cristiano Ronaldo. I can’t think of a better rhetorical statement than that.
32y 72d - Cristiano Ronaldo is the third-oldest player to score a hat-trick in Champions League game, after Pizarro & Shearer. Longevity.
— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) April 18, 2017
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