Ronaldo

by Luca Caioli

  Although Cristiano had bought him a beautiful home overlooking the ocean and was able to give him every possible luxury, he continued to rise at dawn to help the Santo António newspaper vendor. It was a hobby he never gave up. He would spend the morning with friends at the bar or at CF Andorinha, the club which first nurtured his son’s talent. In the afternoon he would catch two buses home.

  Hundreds of people attend the funeral – friends, neighbours, relatives, representatives from various local institutions as well as those from the footballing world, among them Luiz Felipe Scolari, Sporting manager Paulo Bento, and the Andorinha directors. Cristiano Ronaldo is dressed in a black shirt and sunglasses. With his family and his agent Jorge Mendes close to him at all times, he manages to maintain his composure. He does not shed any tears, but his eyes suggest that he has done plenty of crying. The family request that no photographs be taken during the ceremony.

  Sometime later, Cristiano will speak out regarding the way the press handled the death of his father, which was front-page news for the following four days. ‘It really hurt me and my family. We needed peace and quiet, and it ended up becoming quite a commotion.’

  Controversy aside, in the little Funchal graveyard Cristiano bids his final farewell to the man who has been instrumental in both his personal and professional development. ‘My father always encouraged me,’ says Ronaldo. ‘He always told me to be ambitious and he was proud of my footballing achievements. I love him and I will always love him. He will always be with me. He will always be a role model to me. I like to think that wherever you are you will see what I am doing and what I have achieved.’

  Dinis disliked the cameras and the spotlight. He preferred to stay in the background but his relationship with his son was always strong. Before the ‘little bee’ went over to the continent to play with Sporting Lisbon, the two of them were inseparable. They remained close even when he moved to Manchester. Dinis was often with him, visiting him, supporting him and encouraging him until his illness would no longer allow it. Time and time again Cristiano tried to convince his father to check in to a clinic to treat his alcoholism, but he was unable to save him. Dinis continued drinking and there was nothing even England’s best hospitals could do for him.

  His death marks the start of a difficult time for Man United’s number 7.

  Chapter 11

  A trap

  ‘It was a false accusation.’

  Scotland Yard will not reveal any names. They will only confirm that a man in his twenties presented himself at a London police station after a woman filed a report. But the British press think they know who is involved. ‘Ronaldo rape arrest. Football pin-up Cristiano Ronaldo was arrested over a sensational rape allegation,’ declares the front page of The Sun. The story, which hits the headlines on 20 October 2005, soon spreads around the world.

  Here’s the story. A French woman claims to have been sexually assaulted by Ronaldo in a suite at the Sanderson Hotel in London on 2 October. She tells the police that she and a female friend met United’s number 7 at Movida, a trendy club near Oxford Circus.

  Cristiano is in the capital because he has just played a Premier League match against Fulham that afternoon, where United win 3-2. From Movida, Ronaldo, a friend and the two girls go on to the Long Bar at the Sanderson in the West End. They talk and drink for two hours before going up to the suite. And it is here that the rape takes place, according to the girl. At 5am the two girls leave the hotel and go to the hospital. On the Monday, they both file reports at the West End Central police station. After being examined and questioned, the police begin to take their statements extremely seriously.

  On 19 October, Cristiano Ronaldo arrives at the West Didsbury police station in Manchester, accompanied by Manchester United’s lawyer, after receiving a summons from the police in connection with an investigation sparked by reports of a serious sexual assault at a central London hotel. Scotland Yard’s Sapphire command, which deals primarily with the investigation of rape and sexual violence, also questions a 30-year-old man, who is later released. Ronaldo remains at the police station. They take his fingerprints and a saliva sample and he is subjected to questioning. He robustly denies any claims of sexual assault. Nearly nine hours after arriving at the police station he is released without charge.

  The police consider the possibility of referring the case to the Crown Prosecution Service, in the event that they deem it necessary to prosecute the player. ‘At the moment we have no comment,’ says Phil Townsend, director of communications at Manchester United. The only one talking is assistant manager Carlos Queiroz, who, in a telephone interview with the public service broadcasting organisation Radio e Televisão de Portugal, denies that Cristiano has been arrested. He says that Ronaldo appeared at the police station voluntarily and that his presence there was jointly arranged by representatives from the police and Manchester United.

  ‘He went there to make a statement as planned. Based on that statement, the authorities will reach fair and correct conclusions. Cristiano is perfectly calm, but obviously he is extremely annoyed to be implicated in these false allegations. There are always two sides to stories like this, but this accusation is pathetic.’ And he takes the opportunity to criticise the sensationalism of the press and the fact that they use the term ‘arrested’ without any evidence. ‘This news has drawn an excessive amount of attention; they like to create scandalous stories with no basis in fact, and all they do is harm people,’ declares Queiroz. ‘The people who should be arrested are the journalists who persist in ignoring the fact that their words can do an enormous amount of damage.’

  Cristiano’s agent Jorge Mendes also joins the conversation to defend his client. In a statement, he says that the accusation of rape made against Cristiano Ronaldo is ‘the product of imagination and fantasy’ and that it is ‘totally and categorically repudiated. As the investigations will demonstrate, these charges are not based on any credible facts.’

  The allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo follow a string of cases in which Premier League players have been implicated in supposed acts of sexual abuse. Leeds player Jody Morris was detained in 2003 over an alleged rape. His case was later dismissed. In September of the same year, seven players from Chelsea and Newcastle were accused of raping a young woman at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. She had been dating another Chelsea footballer who was friends with the men in question. The case caused a scandal across England but it was also dismissed.

  In 2004, Grimsby Town defender Terrell Forbes was implicated in the rape of a fifteen-year-old girl, along with four friends. All five men were acquitted. In Cartagena in Spain in 2004, three Leicester City players were accused of raping three women. They were also acquitted. The final case is that of Dutch Arsenal player Robin van Persie, who is detained in Rotterdam after being accused of rape. He is released without charge two weeks later.

  There are numerous cases, but no one can believe that Ronaldo could be guilty. Why not? Because despite his demonstrative and provocative behaviour on the pitch, off the pitch the Portuguese player is known as ‘the quiet one’. But this title only serves to enhance the rumours and theories in the British press. Luckily, Cristiano receives plenty of support from the club, the fans, and the Portuguese Football Federation.

  At the beginning of November there are new developments in the case. According to The Sun, Cristiano’s cousin Nuno Aveiro is detained and questioned at the same police station where the Man United number 7 gave his statement. The woman who accused the footballer claims that on that night at the Sanderson Hotel, Nuno held her down to prevent her from moving while Cristiano raped her. Nuno Aveiro denies the accusation and he is released on bail. Meanwhile, the other woman has returned to France and retracted her statement.

  On 25 November the case is closed. Cristiano Ronaldo will not be prosecuted for rape. ‘The Metropolitan Police Service submitted a file to the Crown Prosecution Service following allegations of a serious sexual assault at a central London hotel on O
ctober 2,’ says a Scotland Yard spokesperson. ‘We have been informed today by the CPS that there is insufficient evidence to charge. As such, the two men arrested during the course of this investigation will face no further action in connection with this matter.’

  Cristiano Ronaldo responds with another statement: ‘I have always strongly maintained my innocence of any wrong-doing and I am glad that this matter is at an end so that I can concentrate on playing for Manchester United.’

  CR7 had always told his closest friends that the accusations were false and that he had been the victim of a trap. It’s a theory supported by the now-defunct News of the World, which maintains that the accusations were the work of a prostitute who specialised in ensnaring the rich and famous.

  All’s well that ends well, but as the player himself points out: ‘All the newspapers splashed the accusations against me across their front pages, but when the truth came out they printed it somewhere very small on an inside page.’

  And it’s not just legal problems Cristiano has had to face lately. He received a red card during Man United’s derby against Manchester City. He has been clashing with Ruud van Nistelrooy during training. And in the Champions League he sticks his finger up at the Benfica fans when he is substituted during the match in Lisbon. It seems he is at odds with the whole world at the moment.

  ‘The rape was a false accusation. It doesn’t count,’ explains Cristiano a few months later in an interview with Portuguese journalist and writer Joel Neto. ‘But it is obvious that as far as everything else is concerned my father’s death has really affected me. I can see myself treating people unfairly. Sometimes I just feel like saying: “Let me at them, I’m not in the mood to be the good guy right now!” I never wanted to draw attention to myself. I knew it would happen anyway and that the most important thing was just to continue working hard. But it’s been a difficult time in my life. And despite the fact that I know it’s important to learn to deal with tough times, it’s easier said than done. Especially when it comes to football. It’s extremely difficult to play when you’re not in the right frame of mind.’

  Chapter 12

  ‘Give Ron one in the eye’

  ‘The things that have been said regarding me and my team-mate and friend Rooney are incredible.’

  He has seen footage of the 1966 World Cup, when Eusébio’s Portugal were knocked out in the semis by Bobby Charlton’s England, who then went on to become the champions. But his first World Cup memory is of the United States tournament in 1994. ‘I was nine years old and I watched the final with my family in Madeira. Everyone wanted Brazil to win. But the image of Roberto Baggio missing that crucial penalty is etched in my memory forever.’ Nor has he forgotten the 2002 World Cup when Portugal failed to make it past the group stage after being beaten by South Korea.

  Four years on, Cristiano will not be watching the World Cup on television. He is going to Germany to take part. He is 21 years old and football fans from across the world have included him on the shortlist of six candidates in the running for the World Cup Best Young Player award, along with Leo Messi and Luis Antonio Valencia. The other three candidates, chosen by FIFA, are Cesc Fàbregas, Swiss player Tranquillo Barnetta and the German Thomas Podolski. Shortlisted players must have been born on or after 1 January 1985, and the winner will be chosen based on style, charisma, fair play and passion for the game.

  Cristiano’s third season at United has been a tough one, both on and off the pitch. He has lost a bet with Ferguson, having said he would score at least fifteen goals but only managing twelve. The boy from Madeira has improved significantly, but the fact remains that for the second year running, United have lagged behind José Mourinho’s Chelsea. They were knocked out of the Champions League during the group stage after a defeat by Benfica, and by December they are out of Europe altogether.

  The only trophy which has been added to the United display cabinet this year is the Carling Cup, after a 4-0 win over Wigan in the final. The third goal was scored by Ronaldo, who had in fact been awarded the 2005 FIFPro (International Federation of Professional Footballers) prize for best young footballer as chosen by the fans. Team-mate Wayne Rooney was awarded the official best young player prize. They don’t know it yet, but the two United youngsters will be making headlines in Germany.

  Portuguese coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has put his faith in United’s number 7 and Portugal has put its faith in the team. So has Ronaldo. ‘I think we have an excellent team, great players and a great coach,’ he says. ‘Personally, I hope to be better in the World Cup than I was in the European Championships.’

  Group D seems relatively easy, with Angola, Mexico and Iran as opponents. The Portuguese team wins all three matches: 1-0 against its former colony Angola, 2-0 against Iran and 2-1 against Mexico. The second goal against Iran is a Cristiano penalty. With nine points, Portugal are through to the final sixteen after coming top of their group. It is the first time since the 1966 England World Cup that the Red and Greens have made it past the group phase.

  On 25 June 2006, Portugal face the Netherlands in Nuremberg in a rematch of the Euro 2004 semi-final. Felipe Scolari will later describe it as a historic victory, while captain Luís Figo says it is the result of ‘team unity, strength of character, and the support of the entire nation’. Unfortunately the match remains memorable for its second half, which consists mainly of scuffles, bookings and bad behaviour. Dutch players Gio van Bronckhorst and Boulahrouz are sent off, while Portugal lose Deco and Costinha, who will miss the quarter-finals. In total, referee Valentin Ivanov issues a FIFA record of 20 cards, sixteen yellow along with the four reds. Portugal are through thanks to a goal from Maniche in the 22nd minute, confirming the midfielder’s goal-scoring talents.

  An angry and tearful Ronaldo has to cede his spot to Simão in the 33rd minute after a vicious tackle by Boulahrouz means he can barely move his leg. He is doubtful for the quarter-final against England until the very last minute. He doesn’t want to miss it – it’s his chance to go head-to-head with some of his Man United team-mates and he is anticipating a probable duel on the wing with Gary Neville.

  The teams are announced at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen at 5pm on 1 July. Ronaldo has recovered and will be playing, wearing number 17. In the final sixteen, England clawed their way to a 1-0 victory over Ecuador. The Three Lions’ Swedish coach Sven-Göran Eriksson is apprehensive about the opponents and their coach. Luiz Felipe Scolari was the cause of England’s downfall in the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup when he was in the dugout with Brazil. After moving to Portugal he knocked England out in Euro 2004.

  The game gets underway. In the stands 45,000 England fans are drowning out the 5,000 Portuguese. ‘Stand up, for the Englanders,’ they are chanting. But England are a weakened and frustrated team. Team leaders Lampard, Gerrard and Rooney don’t look like they have the situation under control. Meanwhile Portugal have taken control of the ball in their own half, but beyond that they are trapped. They don’t know how to get things moving, how to open up the game. They are missing Deco, and it’s clear that neither Pauleta nor Postiga are going to get on the scoreboard. The strikers are striking out.

  Cristiano is demonstrating his full potential, attempting to get things moving on the wing. He is slowly but surely unravelling the opposition defence on the far left and Gerrard and Lampard have no choice but to give Gary Neville a helping hand. But when the number 17 cuts into the middle, he loses his spark and momentum.

  To make matters worse, there is an incident in the 62nd minute which will still be the subject of heated debate many months later. Ricardo Carvalho has kept Wayne Rooney on a tight leash, not allowing him to escape and denying him any room for manoeuvre. Frustrated, the England youngster goes deeper into the spider’s web of Portuguese defenders and tries to make a break for it between Carvalho and Petit. After a bit of a struggle, Carvalho ends up on the ground and Rooney inadvertently tramples him, catching his studs in a rather painful area. The foul kick-starts a scuffle betw
een the English and Portuguese players. Cristiano is the first on the scene, rushing over to reason with the referee. Rooney gives him a shove and appears to say something like: ‘You stay out of it.’ Owen Hargreaves tries to keep the two apart, while Maniche tries to calm everyone down.

  The incident occurred directly under referee Horacio Elizondo’s nose and the Portuguese are calling for Rooney’s expulsion. The referee hesitates, then finally pulls out the red card. The England number 9, Cristiano’s Man United team-mate, is heading for the dressing room. The British fans are furious at what they see as an unfair ruling. They start shouting ‘cheat, cheat, cheat!’ at Carvalho, who is now being carried off on a stretcher. Over the coming months, the British press continue to analyse the exchange between Cristiano and Rooney. But before we get into that, let’s finish the match.

  Eriksson decides to replace Joe Cole with Peter Crouch and England manage to hold it together despite being a man down. They stay deep and send down long passes for their tall team-mate, who has to hang onto the ball until reinforcements arrive. Meanwhile, Scolari moves Simão over to the left and sends Cristiano into the centre of the attack. But he seems out of place there, so the coach moves him back again.

  The England players survive the Portuguese onslaught and the 90 minutes finish 0-0. Portugal have failed to take advantage of the extra man, thanks to some dangerous counterattacking from England. Extra time is more or less an assault on Robinson’s goal, but the Portuguese have neither a clear plan nor imagination. England are still hanging in there and it’s on to penalties.

  Sporting Lisbon goalie Ricardo, the hero of Euro 2004 for blocking two England penalties, looks focused and calm on his goal-line. He seems completely detached from all the tension that has been building on the pitch. Up steps Frank Lampard to take the first shot for England. Ricardo blocks it. After the second from Hargreaves just escapes his outstretched fingers, he manages to stop the third from Gerrard. Next up for England is Jamie Carragher. After walking away from the spot, he does a quick half turn and shoots, but without waiting for the referee’s whistle. Elizondo sends him back to do it again. This time, Ricardo waits until the last second, then dives and blocks the ball, sending it spinning to the side.