The famous creator in human history, Thomas A. Edison once said: “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”. This is absolutely true for the 2017 European Golden Ball Cristiano Ronaldo.
This question was on Dolores Aveiro’s mind when she discovered she was pregnant with Ronaldo. Originally from a poor family in Portugal with 5 children, Ms. Aveiro had an alcoholic husband while she struggled to support the family. The doctor refused to abort and Ronaldo was born into the family’s helplessness and poverty. His father named him after the then President, Mr. Ronald Reagan.
While not really outstanding in class, CR7 showed an outstanding passion for football. Realizing this, Mrs. Aveira convinced her husband to take Ronaldo to the local team Andorinha, where he worked as a cleaner, to play football.
During his teenage years, CR7 experienced many ups and downs when he was bullied by opponents, teammates at football academies or clubs. Coming from a poor family with little education, young Ronaldo became a laughing stock for everyone.
However, having to be independent since childhood when his family did not have the means, CR7 always wiped away his tears and stood up to fight. At the end of each training session, when his friends had all gone home, he always stayed behind to diligently practice new techniques. It was this perseverance and dream that helped Ronaldo go far in his career later on.
At the age of 14, CR7 convinced his family to let him focus on football after spending time participating in youth clubs and being highly appreciated for his talent. Due to lack of money for travel, this young man had to leave home alone, wandering to the city to participate in training at the club. Ironically, CR7 had a heart rhythm problem at the age of 15 and was diagnosed with a high chance of having to give up his dream of playing football.
Despite that, CR7 still decided to have heart surgery and returned to training just a few days later.
At the age of 17, CR7 signed a contract with Sporting Lisbon, then moved to Manchester United and then Real Madrid. Since then, CR7 has scored 500 goals at club level and once led the Portuguese team to Euro 2016 championship.
It can be said that with countless titles, championships, advertising contracts as well as reputation, CR7 is at the peak of his career. However, what people admire about this player is the way CR7 achieved those successes through his tireless efforts.
In addition to the mother who once intended to have an abortion because she was too poor, Ronaldo’s father was traumatized by war and was a heavy drinker. He passed away when CR7 was 19 years old while his mother had to work as a laundry girl to support the family.
Even at the age of 14, Ronaldo threw a chair at his teacher because he had insulted his family.
For CR7, hardship or poverty is not what prevents him from achieving success, it is just a necessary stepping stone for him to further train himself for his future dream.
CR7 brand
How many of us remember December 26, 2004, when the historic tsunami in the Indian Ocean devastated Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and India?
Perhaps no one remembers the image of 8-year-old Martunis, who miraculously survived 18 days after being swept away by the tsunami. This boy especially impressed 19-year-old player Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, the star who had just signed a contract with Manchester United (MU) at that time.
It was this player who tried to find the boy, paid the tuition so that he could study football at the Sporting Lisbon academy as well as pooled money with his teammates to rebuild his family. Now 18 years old, the boy Martunis who once called himself Ronaldo’s adopted son is living a dream life playing football and being with his relatives.
Of course, the person he is most grateful to is the Manchester number 7 player who is willing to lend a helping hand to people in more difficult circumstances than himself, even though he has never met them.
Many people have worn the number 7 shirt of Manchester United but people remember CR7 Ronaldo more than David Beckham or George Best. In fact, CR7 has become a brand, a legend in the football world as well as globally.
Initially, Ronaldo’s playing style relied heavily on speed and self-taught technique, with his famous side-swinging and side-swiping moves. However, his ability to handle the ball in the final stages was indecisive and lacked his own style.
This made many of his teammates uncomfortable and experts did not rate Ronaldo’s future highly. In addition, wearing the legendary number 7 shirt of Manchester United, the number worn by many famous players, made him the subject of comparison. Even the fact that he had the same name as his famous senior Ronaldo Nazario (Fat Ronaldo) at that time was also dissected and no one rated CR7 highly.
It wasn’t until the 2006 World Cup incident in Germany that the real turning point for this talent came. In the quarter-final, Ronaldo fell and England’s Wayne Rooney was sent off, but the camera lens showed that CR7 was not really in pain, even though he was holding his face and the media rushed to “tear” him apart.
It was thought that this young talent would collapse, but in the end, all his teammates at Manchester United were surprised to see Ronaldo return to his body, escaping the image of a tall, slim man with a yellow gap tooth.
Ronaldo’s classic celebration
From here, CR7 determined his path to becoming a striker when he was big, strong and durable enough to score goals.
Yes, this is Cristiano Ronaldo (CR7), who won the European Golden Ball in 2008-2016-2017. He also won the FIFA Golden Ball in 2013-2014 and was the best FIFA player in 2008. This player also holds many records, including scoring the most international goals in 2012, scoring the most goals in European club competitions…
With countless noble titles, Ronaldo is considered one of the best players in the world of all time.
In addition to his success in football, Ronaldo has also reaped numerous benefits from commercial contracts. He is always in the top of the highest-earning players in the world with 93 million USD in 2017.
In addition to the huge salary from the club, Ronald also receives advertising contracts from many brands such as Nike, Castrol, Armani, Clear… In particular, Ronaldo’s CR7 brand is utilized and sold on many products, from sportswear to souvenirs, thereby creating a large source of income for him.
However, what makes experts, the media and young people today crazy about Ronaldo is not the huge fortune or the awards he owns. Instead, it is Ronaldo’s relentless efforts despite failures, difficulties and criticism that makes people admire him.
Ronaldo vs Messi: Hard work and natural talent
People often compare Ronaldo to Lionel Messi, a natural genius with the ability to control the ball in a scary narrow space and a smooth combination of finishing ability, supporting teammates and amazing dribbling technique.
However, if you follow Messi from the beginning of his career until now, you will see that his playing style and physique have not changed much. Meanwhile, Ronaldo, who when he first started playing football, had a showy style of play and a slim body, has now completely changed with his tall physique, speed and hammer-like kicks.
Even though they are rivals on the field…… Ronaldo still receives respect from Messi
To reach his current level, CR7 had to go through an extremely difficult training process, always changing, trying to improve himself despite not having as much talent as other stars of the same age. If Messi’s talent is a gift from God, then CR7’s success is definitely due to hard work.
When he first joined MU in 2003, few people thought that CR7 could score 50 goals per season. Most people at that time just thought that this was another new football talent of the club, nothing more.
However, when seeing CR7’s hard training, many people had to reconsider their assessment of Ronaldo. This player has an extremely strict training, rest, nutrition and treatment regimen. Even when other teammates go home to rest after training, Ronaldo still diligently goes to the gym to train his muscles and improve his physical strength.
Many people believe that Ronaldo’s strength and solid body give him an advantage when competing for the ball and making the most of his speed. However, these factors do not come naturally.
“I have never seen a player who trains as hard as Ronaldo. Ronaldo is always the first to arrive at the training ground and the last to leave. He spends 3-4 hours a day on physical training” – Coach Jose Mourinho.
When he was in his twenties, while many talented players indulged in parties or other useless pleasures, Ronaldo clearly separated entertainment and career . He attended events that attracted the media but did not attend too many parties in order to maintain his training regimen and fitness for competition.
In addition, the death of his father due to alcoholism also partly affected CR7’s hatred of alcohol.
Each training session, Ronaldo lifts an average of 16 Toyotas worth of weights. The average body fat of a supermodel is 13.8%, while Ronaldo’s is under 10% thanks to a strict diet.
Although 1m85 tall, they are not enough in aerial battles and Ronaldo has trained to be able to jump 78cm, which means jumping higher than basketball players. If he has momentum, he can jump up to 2m63 and “stop in the air” to compete with goalkeepers.
Ronaldo from a skinny body…
Thanks to strict adherence to this training regimen, the CR7 brand has become as famous globally as it is today.
Although he started out as a winger, Ronaldo has the qualities of a striker. He can shoot with both feet, is a good free-kick taker and has the ability to head the ball well. In a friendly match against Bournemouth, Ronaldo’s free-kick from 35m broke the wrist of 11-year-old Charlie Silverwood, who was standing behind the goal at the time.
With skillful feet, Ronaldo has very good personal technique but can only really show it when there is space. His running speed is also very impressive at 33.6 km/h, in the top 5 fastest players in football. At his peak, CR7 could push the ball 60m and run past 4-5 players.
Thanks to his hard training regimen, Ronaldo has an extremely good physical foundation. On average, each season during his 6 years at Manchester United, he played 49 matches and never had to miss more than 15 days, even when injured.
If you look at Ronaldo, everyone has to admire him for maintaining his strength and fighting will even though he is no longer at his peak age.
Loneliness is a friend of success
Like other stars, CR7 has become the focus of media attention. However, with his big ego and strong personality, Ronaldo is sometimes not liked by the press. In 2007, “I hate Ronaldo” became the most searched phrase on Google.
However, those who have been in contact with Ronaldo for a long time will have a different view of him because work principles are always put first by this player.
Many people look at CR7’s flashy, colorful appearance and think that Ronaldo likes to party, while the reality is completely the opposite. After soccer practice, it’s time to go to the gym, then go home, eat, swim and sleep. This closed and almost continuous process takes place in CR7’s soccer career.
With a professional training schedule and a serious attitude, Ronaldo has plenty of time to socialize and expand his relationships. He spends most of his time focusing on training and playing football because CR7 understands that his success is due to hard work, not talent.
Even Ronaldo himself has quite high demands on his teammates when playing football and this makes those who play with him feel admiration.
Perhaps because of his big ego and lack of socialization, Ronaldo doesn’t have many friends and people misunderstand him. Practicing hard and living alone makes this player love himself more, but that’s not arrogance. All the players who are close to CR7 must have a different view of him.
“He’s not arrogant. He’s got a bad reputation for being a flirt but honestly, he’s the most professional player I’ve ever played with. He never gives up easily and is always on top of things, anytime, anywhere. Even if you play table tennis with him, Ronaldo won’t give up easily. In life, he’s a good person. He’s quite simple, likes to tease people. In fact, I see him quite like David Beckham,” said Patrice Evra, a teammate of Ronaldo.
In addition, despite his big ego, CR7 also knows how to listen and learn if he finds it useful. Many former MU players such as Gary Neville or Ryan Giggs have commented on Ronaldo’s colorful playing style and when he realized that it was not beneficial to his career, CR7 limited the unnecessary moves when dribbling.
CR7 himself also realizes that it is difficult for him to be loved by everyone. For Ronaldo, the achievements he has achieved through hard training and always trying to maintain his passion will be the best proof for everyone.
