Watching Ronaldo now as a fan must be a frustrating and uncomfortable feeling. To go from watching your idol decide game outcomes to watching him succumb to the sad reality that plagues all great athletes in history, the game no longer revolving around him.
His latest saga with Portugal has again brought that reality back to focus. Ronaldo’s reported exit from the portugese camp after being benched the whole game with Norway has sparked a lot of reaction you would expect from fans. Some conclude that there is more to the story than being benched. Others only see an aging superstar struggling to accept that his words wouldn’t matter when the Coach makes a decision. Many still wait for Ronaldo to share his side of what exactly happened, particularly after reports that he intends to tell the Portugese public his side of the story.
Whatever happens, a question still remains in the minds of everyone watching: What does Cristiano Ronaldo want the final chapter of his career to look like?
The honest truth is that his legacy is not in danger here. His ending might be.
Ronaldo has nothing left to prove. He does not need to make a statement because his devoted fans will sing praises of his accomplishments, awards and impact in all his years of football. He has 5 Ballon d’Ors. He is a 5-time champions league winner. He has won league titles in England, Italy and Spain. He has scored an extraordinary number of goals for club and country (and on his way towards a thousand). He won the European Championship with Portugal and the Nations League. Most importantly< he singlehandedly raised Portugal’s expectation of itself.
For years, Portugal has produced talents but they never played at the highest level before Ronaldo. He became the country’s greatest goalscorer, its most recognizable athlete and what brought Portuguese fans together emotionally.
Ronaldo has had the pleasure of remaining relevant across many generations of footballers. Ronaldo’s legacy by all accounts cannot be diminished by a bad season or by being benched. Ronaldo has won the argument with history.
However, history is not the only thing people are watching. Fans are also watching the ending.
This may be the most difficult aspect of his career to accept. Ronaldo has always being the centre of every game. So much so that being benched would spark controversies online. Why would you bench your top goalscorer when you need goals?
Unfortunatly, at age 41, everyone and Ronaldo included has to accept the fact that they cannot reasonably expect the same demand of the 25 year old that revolutionized football. Acceleration slows. Recovery takes longer. Movements become more economical.
This does not make him a bad footballer. It just brings to focus the need for a different approach. If Ronaldo can no longer carry Portugal, how best can they utilize him? Can he contribute more to a match in 30 minutes rather than staying the whole 90?
These are questions that need answers. And while those questions are yet without answers, you can imagine the comparisons fans are making about Ronaldo and Messi and their legacies
Messi remained the central figure for Argentina but with age, his role evolved. Argentina right on to Messi’s retirement could still depend on him without needing him to be the 23 year old version. Ronaldo’s situation is different, and it would be simplistic to suggest that one player’s career decisions provide a universal blueprint for the other. But the comparison does raise an important question.
Can a player who spent two decades insisting, through his performances, that he belonged at the centre of everything accept a role in which he is no longer the centre?
What is unfortunate about a great career is that expectations continue to pile up. Regardless of how great your career his, a poor ending can leave adoring fans shattered. Every additional season gives him another opportunity to produce something memorable. But it also gives him another opportunity for an awkward night, another benching, another public disagreement, another argument over whether he should still be starting.
This can lead to conversations going from “How incredible was Ronaldo?” to “Why didn’t Ronaldo know when to stop?”
It’s a dangerous transition because it changes how people feel about Ronaldo emotionally. A footballer should not need to retire while everybody still thinks he is the best player on the pitch. But there is a difference between leaving because you are no longer capable of playing and leaving because you understand that your relationship with the game has fundamentally changed. Ronaldo is quickly approaching that crossroads.
