To say that Cristiano Ronaldo is a polarizing character would be an understatement. The views on the Portuguese player have always been contrasting: it tends to range from the best in the world to nothing more than an overrated selfish flop.
One thing has always been certain the man has talent. But many believe that to call him one of the best in the world is a travesty when there are many more extremely talented players out there.
But I have always believed that he is undoubtedly one of the best players in world football right now. He may not be the best, because after all this there is this one Argentinean, but he is surely there at the top.
So that brings me to ask a question: is the one time Ballon d’Or winner an overrated player or is he merely over criticized?
One of the big criticisms against Ronaldo is that he is an extremely selfish play. That is true to a certain extent. Ronaldo has shown time after time that he prefers to take on defenders and shoot from outrageously long distances. Sometimes it results in him getting dispossessed and the attacking breaking down or it can also result in him scoring another beauty. Many times his dribbling and habit of taking on defenders allows him to move into good positions and often it results in his team winning free kicks.
But this season there has been a gradual change in his style of play as he has become a bit more of a team player combining well with the likes of Mesut Ozil and Di Maria.
This season we have been witness to a completely different player. He has been a man on a mission, a man who looks all set to silence his numerous critics. This season it is obvious that there has been an inner desire in him to silence his critics. He has looked motivated, fired up and that has translated into some fantastic performances on the pitch. Real Madrid are currently in the title race but just, sitting eight points behind the Catalan giants. Had it not been for Ronaldo I believe they would be further behind Barcelona.
Ronaldo is proving to be an extremely hardworking player and because of his high profile lifestyle and nature people often forget that when training and when on the pitch he always gives in his best and always strives to be the best.
It is fair to say that Real Madrid despite all their heavy spending are still extremely dependent on Ronaldo to deliver the goods and this season he has delivered.
This season he has already found the net 38 times and looks set to beat his personal best of 42, a feat he achieved back when he used to play for the Red Devils. It is not just in the goalscoring department where he is making a difference. He has already notched up 12 assists which when compared to the seven he had last season highlights the change he has brought about in his game.
When Gonzalo Higuain was out with injury Ronaldo was burdened with the task of scoring the goals for Madrid and he responded brilliantly as he bore the brunt of scoring the goals for Madrid.
Cristiano Ronaldo is not the best in world football right now but to call him overrated is sadly wrong.
Many people have started saying that since Ronaldo is not on the same level as Messi he is overrated and is actually not as good as the media make him out to be.
But that does that actually make any sense?
Lionel Messi will go down as the greatest player in this generation and one of the all time greats of the beautiful game. Ronaldo despite all his talent is unable to match Messi’s overall contributions for the time being. But that doesn’t make him a bad player.
Ronaldo is no Messi and he never will be but that doesn’t make any less great or electrifying.
For that matter you can make any player look bad by merely comparing him to Lionel Messi. Just because Ronaldo is not as good as Messi doesn’t make him a bad player or it doesn’t make him overrated. The fact that he is close to Messi in terms of skill just shows his potential and achievements.
Another interesting aspect of Ronaldo’s critics is that they rarely give credit where it is due. The transition from the EPL to the La Liga is never easy and many a player have faltered after high profile moves to the La Liga.
But Cristiano Ronaldo’s career in Madrid got on seamlessly as he scored 33 goals in his first season alone in just 35 appearances.
This is something Lionel Messi has never experienced. So it is mere assumption whether he would fail or not. He could either fail in a more physical league or he could continue to play mesmerizing football. Both are possible and unless he completes an improbable move to the English Premier League it will always be up for debate.
But the fact is whenever Messi has played without Xavi and Iniesta, who are easily the two greatest midfielders in the current game by a good distance that is on the International stage he has struggled in comparison to his fantastic club form.
One common criticism against both these two talented players is that they have never been able to recapture their club form on an International stage. But the fact of the matter is that Ronaldo’s international record is currently better than that of Messi with Argentina.
Diving: this is another issue for which Ronaldo has come under heavy criticism and ridicule. It is sad that a player like Ronaldo or for that matter any player dives. It is further saddening to see when it comes from a talent like Ronaldo. But this season there has been a slight improvement in this regard as he seems to have cut down on the theatrics a bit. There have been incidents when even Messi has been accused of not staying on his feet.
But Ronaldo too has his faults. He has a tendency to choke when a big match situation arises, as shown in the last three Clasicos as he paled in comparison to Messi’s brilliance. This is one aspect of his game he has to look to rectify. Time and time again Messi has thrived in the big match situation as he has scored several important goals for Barcelona.
I have always believed that Ronaldo plays with much more pressure than Messi does. There are two reasons for this.
Ronaldo’s performances are always heavily scrutinized by his many critics with many waiting to have a rip at the Portuguese player.
Another reason he has so much pressure on him is to justify his price tag. The price that Real Madrid paid for him was the largest that has ever been paid for any footballer and that amount can prove to be overwhelming even for a player like Ronaldo.
Another interesting aspect of the entire Messi vs Ronaldo debate, is the amount of criticism Ronaldo gets for not doing something Messi does. There is always this line that Messi does this so why can't Ronaldo it and hence Ronaldo is overrated. Messi can't take freekicks and long shots like Ronaldo can. But does he get so much criticism? The answer is No.
But despite this added pressure he has been tremendous for Real Madrid and has proved to the world that he was worth the money Real Madrid shelled out on him.
Messi is a superior player to Ronaldo but not to the level some people believe and indicate. Ronaldo is very much one of the best players in the world and overrated is one thing he is not and I believe that he never was.
At the end of the day, football is a much better sport with these two geniuses at work and we are all lucky to witness these two talents in full flow.
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