Portugal's Ronaldo is Growing Up Fast
Since there're so many Cristiano Ronaldo fans on this forum, I thought I'd post this. It's an article from my local newspaper (
The West Australian) from yesterday. It's an interesting read, albeit a not completely flattering one
Portugal's Ronaldo is Growing Up Fast
GELSENKIRCHEN
The World Cup is finally making a man of Cristiano Ronaldo.
After thumping in a penalty against Iran to confirm Portugal's entry into the last 16 for the second round for the first time in 40 years, Ronaldo sank to his knees with a cathartic roar.
The weight of responsibility had fallen on him and with uncharacteristic courage he had made light of the load. It was a moment of genuine vindication. With the Portuguese press grumbling, he was on the verge of being dropped after being substituted in the previous game with Angola.
However, coach Luiz Felipe Scolari asked him to play through the pain of a thigh strain and his faith in the 21-year-old winger paid off with a 2-0 win against Iran. Now, brimming with confidence in his undoubted abilities, he could seize this competition by the throat.
The Manchester United player has always been fragile. His father, Dinis Aveiro, named him after his favourite actor Ronald Reagan but any hopes that his son would resemble the gunslingers of Reagan's many cowboy roles were quickly dispelled.
As an eight-year-old playing for amateur club Andorinho, where Dinis was the kitman, Ronaldo would immediately burst into tears if his side lost. Eleven years later, his former Andorinho coach Rui Santos was stunned to see the same reaction from Ronaldo after Portugal had lost the final of Euro 2004. His more senior Portugeuse teammates had to tend to him like a child.
At Sporting Lisbon's academy, Ronaldo was mercilessly teased for his provincial accent and the club's child psychologists suggested he could use more support. His mother was flown in from Madeira.
It is perhaps this sort of pampering that has impeded the fulfillment of his talent. Doctors would not let him play the full 90 minutes until he was 17 for fear of stunting his growth. It is little wonder that his game has a streak of spoiled impetulance.
It didn't help when it was revealed that part of the reason Ruud van Nistelrooy was being pushed out of Old Trafford was for reducing Ronaldo to tears with his dressing room banter. At club level, Sir Alex Ferguson has effectively chosen the winger above van Nistelrooy.
But it has been the international game that has coaxed Ronaldo out of adolescence. Just hours after his father's death last September, he took to the field for a qualifier with Russia. His hide was beginning to thicken.