Keep Calm, Cr7! Bad Behaviour Ruining Ronaldo’s Ending & Legacy

The Portuguese forward, Cristiano Ronaldo irascible behaviour is overshadowing his performance at Al-Nassr and providing a bad example for the younger players.

“There are people out there who hate me and who say I’m arrogant, vain and whatever. That’s all part of my success. I am made to be the best,” Cristiano Ronaldo said in 2016 interview with Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo. “We cannot live being obsessed with what other people think about us. It’s impossible to live like that. Not even God managed to please the entire world.”

READ ALSO: ‘Can’t Stop’ – Cristiano Ronaldo Sends Message Amid Saudi Ban

The most beloved son of Portugal has never been one to show modesty. Back then, though, he was still at the top of his game and Real Madrid was cruising through the Champions League, so nobody really took too much of his attitude into consideration.

But after eight years, it’s undeniable that Ronaldo’s shortcomings as a person are having a greater negative influence than his on-field achievements. He said that his “work in Europe is done” when he signed a record-breaking contract at Al-Nassr in January of last year, but once his second stint at Manchester United ended amicably, he was left with no other options.

Since then, Ronaldo has gone to considerable measures—and in direct opposition to his earlier remarks—to attempt and demonstrate that he is still relevant. It appears that the 39-year-old’s public image now matters more than anything else, and this egotistical attitude could endanger the last part of his remarkable career.

Preserving his legacy

Ronaldo may not be ready to hang up his boots just yet, but he ought to be giving his legacy more consideration because if he keeps acting like an entitled brat, it will only get worse. His son, Cristiano Junior, will also be eager to follow his example, having already made a promising start to his own football journey by winning an U13s league title with Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo’s £177 million ($215 million) contract at the club includes an obligation to represent Saudi Arabia as an ambassador for its Vision 2030 project, which aims to “achieve the goal of increased diversification economically.” He has fulfilled this responsibility thus far by using social media to promote Saudi Arabia.

However, he must also lead by example on the field with both his professionalism and his performances. With well over 600 million Instagram followers, Ronaldo remains, statistically speaking, the most popular sportsman on the planet even though he has long since passed his prime.

Ronaldo still has a lot of people watching him, including the next wave of young players with potential, so it is his duty to act appropriately. When he let his football speak for itself and shut out the outside world, there was never a problem. If he wants to end his career on a positive note, he needs to do it again.

Al-Nassr is still fighting for three trophies; winning the AFC Champions League is the ultimate goal. Ronaldo would be in great shape for Portugal’s 2024 European campaign if the team finishes strong. Ronaldo can advance Roberto Martinez’s team to the later stages of the competition if his mind is in it.

He just has to decide how he wants to be remembered. If Ronaldo truly values his place in football’s Hall of Fame, it’s time to cut out the silliness.

Missing the bigger picture

No one surpassed Ronaldo’s haul of 54 goals for club and country in 2023. The player has been scoring goals for fun at Al-Nassr. The Portuguese player, who enjoyed outperforming “young stars” such as Erling Haaland of Manchester City, claimed he could play for ten more years, but he isn’t seeing the wider picture.

Despite the inflow of European talent to the Middle East in the last year, the Saudi Pro League is still a long way from being among the best divisions in the world of football. The purists simply see a once-great player padding his stats while collecting outrageous money, thus Ronaldo’s copious productivity in the closing third is meaningless to them.

There would be nothing wrong with that, if he was still being a role model to the millions of youngsters that look up to him and could admit that Al-Nassr is just a place for him to wind down towards retirement. But Ronaldo seems to still genuinely believe he is the number one player in the game, and construes any suggestion otherwise as a personal attack.

Can’t let Messi go

Ronaldo’s initial crude gesture against Al-Hilal supporters also followed Messi chants, which are now a regular sight in the opposing stands during Al-Nassr games. It appears that Ronaldo is still quite sensitive to any mention of his Argentine rival, even with all that he has accomplished in the game and his indisputable status as one of the best players of all time.

When Messi left Paris Saint-Germain to take on a new challenge in the Major League Soccer (MLS) at Inter Miami, the Portuguese star diverted attention from Ronaldo’s historic move to Saudi Arabia. In September, Messi was questioned about if the rivalry between the two still exists when on international duty. Referring to himself in the third-person without any sense of irony, Ronaldo replied: “The rivalry is over. It was good, a healthy rivalry that spectators liked a lot. Whoever likes Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t have to hate Messi or vice-versa because they’re both very good. They changed the history of football, and they keep on doing it.”

If Ronaldo really thought that, he wouldn’t need to constantly putting people who support Messi at a distance. After Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, the Barcelona icon effectively ended the discussion over who is the greatest of all time. However, in terms of raw talent, Ronaldo has never been close to the same level, and that is not a reason for shame.

There will probably never be another player that can match Ronaldo’s incredible drive and hyper competitiveness, or his prowess in front of goal. There is no reason for the Al-Nassr superstar to hold himself up against Messi, not least because they’ve always been very different players, and he’d enjoy the final stage of his career far more if he were to properly let their rivalry go.

Previous punishment escapes

On February 8, Ronaldo let his irritation get the best of him again as he was walking down the tunnel after being subjected to more Messi taunts during Al-Nassr’s 2-0 loss to Al-Hilal in the Riyadh Season Cup final.

Ronaldo appeared to rub his crotch after Al-Hilal supporters tossed a team scarf at him, and he then flung the scarf back the way it came. Despite a similar dispute in April of last year, the Portugal international was given the benefit of the doubt and no punishments were enforced following that occurrence.

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تصرف غير اخلاقي من كريستيانو رونالدو؛ حيث وضع شال الهلال في مكان غير لائق ثم قام برميه!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/OUBzFWKjP7

— نواف الآسيوي 🇸🇦 (@football_ll55) February 8, 2024

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The last few weeks of the 2022–23 Pro League season saw Ronaldo lose another match to Al-Hilal. As he was walking off the pitch, he grasped his crotch, much to the indignation of Saudi attorney Nouf Bint Ahmad. After she called the gesture a “crime that requires detention and deportation” on social media, Ronaldo was the focus of a second investigation before being found not guilty.

Al-Nassr even came out to defend their prized asset, saying in a quite frankly absurd official statement: “Ronaldo suffers from an injury. His challenge with Gustavo Cuellar, the Al-Hilal player, started with a blow in a very sensitive area. This is confirmed information. As for the fans’ explanations, they are free to think whatever they want.”