Cristiano Ronaldo Is Humiliating Himself

Cristiano Ronaldo is humiliating himself at the moment. The former top level soccer player now spends his days playing in obscurity against low level opposition in Saudi Arabia. Sure he is getting an amazing pay day. But he already had more money than he could ever spend, so what does his paycheck now really matter? What we are seeing now is a sad ending to a great players’ career.

Cristiano Ronaldo always liked to see himself as a peer of Lionel Messi. While he never was at Messi’s level, there were a few seasons where he was close. He developed from a dribbling winger into a goal scoring machine. Over the last 10-15 years, Ronaldo would score clutch goals for club and country. His consistency was impressive to anyone who watched him.

Ronaldo’s goal scoring record was simply ridiculous. He and Lionel Messi were able to score over 30 goals season after season. And while he had his share of penalty and tap in goals, many of his goals were truly impressive. What is more, many of his goals were incredibly clutch. From dragging Portugal to the 2014 World Cup via the playoff, to his hat trick against Spain in the 2018 World Cup, to numerous Champions League semifinals and finals, Ronaldo always found a way.

Ronaldo kept scoring breathtaking goals well into his thirties. His overhead kick against Juventus at the age of 33 in the 2017-18 Champions League quarterfinals seemed to defy the laws of physics and science. Cristiano Ronaldo is without a doubt a top 15 player of all time, and almost surely in the top 10. He never had close to the skill that Messi had, but Ronaldo’s tireless work ethic transformed him from an amazing player to an all time great player.

Ronaldo’s unshakeable confidence (many would say arrogance) helped him reach the heights he did. But it has also been a detriment to him. It made him think he was better than he was, and made him blind to the touch of knowing when to quit. When he came back to Manchester United, he thought that he would be the star man. He didn’t realize that he was quickly declining, and that by 2022, was a bit part level player.

It didn’t help that Manchester United were not at a great place when he arrived. But his petulance, shockingly poor passing, dribbling and ball control, and inability/unwillingness to run off the ball led to his eventual benching. Even while playing for Portugal, a nation where it is practically law to do everything Ronaldo wants, he was benched during the 2022 World Cup knockout stages.

Being benched and then released from Manchester United, doing a widely panned interview with Piers Morgan, and being benched for Portugal seemed to be Ronaldo’s worst nightmare coming true. But being knocked out by Morocco without having ever scored a goal in the World Cup knockout stage, and watching Messi win the World Cup with Argentina might have been more than Ronaldo could bear.

Ronaldo entered the World Cup without a club. Many thought that he could retain some of his pride by going to a respectable European team after the World Cup. His enormous wages were a problem, as was his attitude. Not many clubs wanted an aging, declining former star, who was not a team player, and commanded ridiculous amounts of money. His options were limited, but Ronaldo could have found a club in Europe.

Ronaldo’s best bet would have been to take a pay cut. If he had been willing to take a pay cut, it would have opened the doors to many more teams who would put up with his antics in exchange for his goals. He could have gone back to his childhood club of Sporting CP. They were in the Champions League, in a respectable league, and his going there had the perfect sentimental value.

If not Sporting, or a club in Italy or England on reduced wages, Ronaldo could have gone to MLS. The final stage of his career could have been making soccer more popular in the world’s most influential country. He could have open up his brand and had a little more privacy, as in the US, the majority of people would not recognize him walking down the street.

Sadly, Ronaldo chose none of these options. He chose to play in Saudi Arabia, taking a huge paycheck. Even many of his most ardent fans decried the move. Why go there? Money is not an issue. Why open yourself up to jokes and mockery? Ronaldo must have known how many would react to this. He must have suspected the jokes about Messi winning the World Cup while his rival Ronaldo “fled to the Saudi league.”

Going to Saudi Arabia put Ronaldo in a no win situation. He was out of the mainstream focus of the club game, Europe. He seemed to be taking an unserious end to his career. Many people said that it would have been better for Ronaldo’s legacy to retire rather than go to Saudi Arabia. And even if Ronaldo did score a bunch of goals, the fact that it was in the Saudi league would always be referenced.

Sadly, Ronaldo’s time in the Saudi league hasn’t even been that successful. He’s scored goals to be sure. But his club, Al Nassr, are lower in the league now than when he got there. He is being goaded by opposing fans, who chant “Messi, Messi” at him, and it clearly bothers him. Cristiano Ronaldo is being referenced now more as a punchline than as a serious player.

While the claims that Ronaldo is the best or even a top 2 player of all time deserve a hearty chuckle, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that he is a legendary player. We should all be rooting for Ronaldo to end his career with a little dignity. Watching a former top player humiliate himself should cease to be funny after a little bit.

To regain some dignity, I suggest Ronaldo go to Sporting CP. They would absolutely love him and would make all accommodations for him. He would be playing at a respectable level and would have a chance to keep up. He could be used mostly as a super sub, and sometimes start, especially when Sporting plays bottom feeder teams.

If not Sporting, go to MLS. MLS is starting to become a semi serious league, and combined with growing the game in the US, it could be a noble, somewhat respectable end of career for Ronaldo. Playing in MLS or for Sporting might keep Ronaldo at a level where he isn’t too much of a drag on a Portuguese national team that cannot drop him if he wants to continue.

While Cristiano Ronaldo has always lived in Lionel Messi’s shadow, he has made a name and fame for himself in his own right. He is not near Messi, the greatest player of all time, but he might be in the same area code. He should make the right decision so as not to denigrate that amazing legacy.