Sad end to the Ronaldo legacy.
After his poor performance in Portugal's narrow (but deserved) defeat to Spain, this is the last that we will see of Christiano Ronaldo at the highest level.
I have mixed feelings. He is an absolute narcissist and on the Ronaldo vrs Messi debate, I always thought Messi was the better player. Peak Messi was the best creator in the world, as well as being a phenomenal goalscorer. The Barca team that Messi starred in was maybe the best football team of all time.
Ronaldo was a great player though. He scored even more goals than Messi's insane figures and he did it for years. No player has ever worked harder than Ronaldo and he has a cabinet stacked with Balon D'Ors and Champions League trophies. It's deserved too.
But he's far from the player he was and shouldn't have been at this World Cup. At 41, he's a bit of a passenger. He's too slow to press and he's even lost his (once phenomenal) ability to power past his makers. Worse for Portugal, his ego and legacy means that everything is all about him. His team mates try to play through him and his coach is afraid to drop him. There are credible rumours that his presence divides the Portugal dressing room.
It's a shame for Portugal because otherwise they have an outstanding team. It's also a shame for Ronaldo's legacy. However, let that not distract from the fact that from the mid 2000s to mid 2010s, he was one of the best forwards to ever play the game.
I have mixed feelings. He is an absolute narcissist and on the Ronaldo vrs Messi debate, I always thought Messi was the better player. Peak Messi was the best creator in the world, as well as being a phenomenal goalscorer. The Barca team that Messi starred in was maybe the best football team of all time.
Ronaldo was a great player though. He scored even more goals than Messi's insane figures and he did it for years. No player has ever worked harder than Ronaldo and he has a cabinet stacked with Balon D'Ors and Champions League trophies. It's deserved too.
But he's far from the player he was and shouldn't have been at this World Cup. At 41, he's a bit of a passenger. He's too slow to press and he's even lost his (once phenomenal) ability to power past his makers. Worse for Portugal, his ego and legacy means that everything is all about him. His team mates try to play through him and his coach is afraid to drop him. There are credible rumours that his presence divides the Portugal dressing room.
It's a shame for Portugal because otherwise they have an outstanding team. It's also a shame for Ronaldo's legacy. However, let that not distract from the fact that from the mid 2000s to mid 2010s, he was one of the best forwards to ever play the game.
41-45, M
