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Monday, 21 May 2012 15:50 |
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Nathan, I completely agree with what you wrote in this article. I actually think that Messi deserves much of the praise he gets since he is a spectacular player. However, all the "best ever" claims are extremely premature. The problem is that many soccer fans and pundits do label Ronaldo as just another great footballer, and I fear that he will always live under Messi's shadow.
Cristiano Ronaldo is, as you mentioned, a perfect hybrid of athleticism and technique. He is arguably the greatest goal scorer of all time, and he's a winger. He's got super-human speed and athleticism, fantastic technical ability, and the ability to score a wide variety of spectacular goals from almost anywhere on the pitch. At his best, he can be even more unplayable than Messi.
Sadly, as you mentioned, his reputation as an arrogant, selfish, immature diver will likely follow him for the rest of his career. Every mistake he makes will be heavily scrutinized by the media, while Messi's mistakes and failures will be swept under the rug.
Cristiano Ronaldo needs to step up for Portugal this summer if he wants to prove his undeniable quality to the world. If Ronaldo can lead Portugal out of the group of death and even win the tournament, he will finally get the praise he deserves.
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