by Luca Caioli
And speaking of Barça, it’s after a match against the rivals on 27 April 2011, the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, that Cristiano and Mou have their first major disagreement since his arrival at Real. ‘As an attacking player, do you like the way your team played today?’ the reporters ask Cristiano after their 0-2 loss, referring to their defensive performance. In his usual honest way, he replies: ‘No, I don’t like it, but I have to adapt to it because that’s the way we play.’ His succinct response is a little too blunt and it will undoubtedly spark a debate in the press.
Mourinho is not amused. It’s the first time he has received criticism from the Real dressing room – and it has come from none other than his star player. ‘He can say what he wants, that’s his opinion. I don’t have a problem with it,’ Mou tells the press at Valdebebas. Case closed, or so it seems.
But three days later he punishes Cristiano by leaving him out of the line-up in a vital Liga match against Zaragoza. ‘It was a technical decision,’ Mou explains, claiming that he wanted to rest Ronaldo before the return leg against Barça at the Nou Camp. But nobody believes him. In the entire season, the White number 7 has only been benched once for technical reasons, during a trivial Copa del Rey match against Levante in December. The move is seen as punishment for criticising Mourinho’s game strategy, a way of teaching the player to keep his mouth shut.
Cristiano is indignant about the treatment he has received and Mourinho is reportedly furious because his protégé has publicly criticised his tactics. According to El País: ‘During the prematch preparation the night before the Barça game, it was clear to the entire Real Madrid camp that there was a lot of friction between the two. According to one source, Mourinho even brought it up in front of the others, saying: “Don’t complain about our defensive strategy Cristiano. You know it’s your fault if we have to play that way, because you don’t want to defend.”’
Mourinho is convinced that if Cristiano is the top goal-scorer in the world, it can only be thanks to his managerial strategy. His formation has been built around the striker, allowing him to receive the ball without overexerting himself and save his energy for running and scoring. He certainly doesn’t want to hear any criticism from the one player around whom he has carefully constructed his team. What started as a quibble has turned into a full blown dispute. The press are only too happy to take full advantage of the story, going into depth on each side of the debate. They even go into the archives to drag up the famous ‘war of words’ that the two had back in England. They start referring to this new rift between the two Real stars as the beginning of the end.
But that’s a little too dramatic. By the end of the season things have calmed down. When Spanish radio network Cadena COPE asks Cristiano if the Zaragoza match was Mourinho’s way of punishing him, he replies: ‘I don’t know. You will have to ask Mourinho. When he’s next on air for an interview, ask him.’ And he takes great care to play down the comments he made after that infamous Barça match. ‘It’s all in the past now. I have talked to my team-mates and the coach about it,’ he explains. ‘Sometimes we shouldn’t speak our mind so easily. Sometimes we say things we shouldn’t. I didn’t mean to offend anyone, I was just frustrated after Pepe’s sending off. Sometimes I say things I don’t really mean. But that chapter is closed now and everything is fine. Nobody’s perfect.’
He has resorted to self-deprecation, but at least he has restored the balance in his relationship with Mou. ‘I was thrilled when I heard that he was coming to Madrid. Not just because he’s a Portuguese coach – that’s not the most important thing. The best part is the fact that in every league he has joined, he has demonstrated that he’s the best. For me, the top people are those who can show that they are capable of doing great things in more than one league. If you are good in Portugal, you have to be good in Spain and Italy as well. To me, he’s the best because he has won every championship in which he has coached. He has a strong winning mentality.
‘I have heard many players speak about him, but only those who have worked with him really understand what a great manager he is. There are those who have no idea what goes on in the dressing room or in training, yet have an opinion of him. They either love him or hate him – it’s similar to how people feel about me. As far as I’m concerned he’s a great coach – phenomenal. I hope he will continue coaching me for many years to come.’
So who’s better, Mourinho or Ferguson? ‘They’re different. You can’t compare a Ferrari with a Porsche. Either you happen to like the Ferrari better, or you prefer the Porsche. Everyone has their own personal preference. They are the best coaches I have ever worked with. Mourinho has really impressed me with his training methods – they’re the best I have ever seen. But no, you can’t compare the two.’
At the start of the 2011–12 season, he elaborates further in an interview with Marca. ‘The boss is first and foremost my friend, secondly, my coach and thirdly, someone I greatly admire. I am delighted to work with him and learn from him every single day.’
Chapter 27
Passions and obsessions
Cristiano’s passions
Football
Table tennis
Athletics
Tennis
Swimming
Music
Cars
His extended family
Madeira
Cristiano’s obsessions
Sit-ups
His eyebrows
His hairstyle
The fight to ban cigarette smoke
His diet
The length of the grass in his garden
His private life
The number 7
Football
Goals
Trophies
Messi
The Ballon d’Or
Being the best
Perfection
Passions
Try typing ‘Cristiano Ronaldo’ and the Spanish word ‘pasiones’ into a search engine and the phrase that appears most frequently is ‘Cristiano Ronaldo levanta pasiones’, which lacks a direct translation in English but implies that for better or worse he ‘ignites passion’ among the public. Whether it refers to fans in Madrid, Portugal, England, Washington, Asia, the world’s female population, the kids who dream of becoming footballers, or the gay community (he was voted ‘sexiest man alive’ in 2009 by the Gay Times), it seems Ronaldo is always whipping up a frenzy somewhere in the world.
Wherever he goes, be it to a stadium, an airport, a clothes store or a restaurant, the Portuguese elicits a strong response from onlookers – idolisation, crazed obsession, jealousy, love or hatred. To some he is a hero, to others a villain. To some he is the epitome of a modern football star, to others he is a decent player and nothing more. To some he is a god, to others – the devil. Ever since he landed on English soil, few have been able to remain indifferent towards him. There are those who appreciate his brutal honesty, and those who think he’s just plain arrogant.
But what ignites the passion of a man who ignites so much passion in others? The usual things that attract rich, famous and attractive young footballers: designer clothes, accessories, fast sports cars; his most recent purchase was a Ferrari 599 GTO – made to look like the famous Batmobile and capable of going from 0 to 60 in 3.35 seconds thanks to its V12 motor. Before that, there was the Mercedes, the Porsche 911, the Bugatti Veyron, the Bentley Continental GT, the Aston Martin DB9 and, most recently, the Maserati GranCabrio. Then came the Ferrari, with its 6.0-litre engine and 612 horsepower, which the Portuguese wrote off on 8 January 2009 when he crashed against the security barrier in a tunnel at Manchester airport. It was a horrific accident but he emerged unscathed.
Most footballers seem to love their cars as much as they love their sport. But what Cristiano loves most after football is table tennis. He began to play as a child in Madeira, where the sport has a strong tradition and clubs compete on a national level. He carried on playing while he was at Sporting and has continued ever since. He
loves going to matches, as well as playing against friends and team-mates.
He fancies himself as quite a good player, boasting on a number of occasions that the Sporting ping pong coach wanted him to join the team. But … he wanted to be a footballer. His other sporting loves include tennis – he had his own court at his English mansion – athletics and swimming (a pool is a prerequisite at his place of residence).
Music
‘My darling, you are the one I love until the end of time.
My divine passion.
You give me reason to live.
My darling, my life is empty without you.
I want to feel you near me, your eyes gazing into mine, my love.
My darling one.’
Yes, Cristiano has also tried his hand at singing a romantic ballad during a Banco Espírito Santo advert. The clip plays on the rumours surrounding the Real Madrid star: female bodyguards, a supposed twin brother who switches places with him at half time, and a secret musical streak which apparently always made him dream of recording a Spanish song. ‘Singing is not my strong suit,’ he admits in an interview with Real Madrid Television.
But it’s not just in the adverts. He also sings in the dressing room, encouraging Pepe, Marcelo and even Casillas to join in. ‘All the players love music. We listen during training, on journeys, before matches … Music is part of my life, I grew up in a musical environment, my sister was a singer and when I lived in Madeira with my family I used to go to traditional concerts. I don’t have a favourite type of music, it depends on the day, who I’m with, various different factors,’ he explains. Before a match he prefers something with a good rhythm, and after scoring a goal he likes to dance with Marcelo to something like ‘Ai se eu te pego’ (‘Ah when I get my hands on you’) by the Brazilian Justin Bieber, Michel Teló.
Family
Call it passion, love, filial or fraternal devotion, the most important thing to the boy who had to leave his home at the age of twelve is his family: his mother Dolores, his sisters, his brother, his brother-in-law, his nephews and nieces (Rodrigo, Dínis, Beatriz and Eleonor) and his cousin Nuño. His ‘clan’ also extends to his agent, Jorge Mendes. He has always said that he is dedicated to his family, that his mother has been his rock throughout his life, that he has a special relationship with her, that she spoiled him somewhat as a child, and that he would never for one second abandon her. He also emphasises how much his father supported him, explaining they were able to lean on each other in equal measure.
Signing his contract with Manchester United enabled him to offer his mother the chance to retire. He bought her a new house and has taken care of her during times of ill health. Although his efforts to save his father from alcoholism were in vain, he managed to rescue his brother from the downward spiral of drug addiction. He also helped his younger sister Katia launch her singing career. She has since recorded three albums: Pronto pra te amar, Esperança and De corpo e alma (Ready to Love You, Hope and Body and Soul). His older sister Elma has taken the reins of his CR7 clothing store in Madeira, while Katia’s husband Zé has become his right hand man. Ronaldo’s family members have always thrown themselves with enthusiasm into everything he does. In short, they are his world.
Madeira
His childhood island home is where Cristiano loves to go to when he needs a break, to take refuge in his family. He has promoted Madeira all over the world, and he has even taken his girlfriend Irina there. In February 2010, the island is lashed by a storm, killing 42, wounding dozens and leaving immeasurable damage in its wake. Ronaldo sends a message of solidarity: ‘I would like to offer my services in any way I can, to help the official clean-up operation, and to help minimise and overcome the effects of this tragedy as best we can.’ After scoring a goal at the Bernabéu against Villarreal, he lifts up his shirt to reveal a T-shirt underneath which simply says ‘Madeira’.
Obsessions
His friends and team-mates call him Cris. But in the Real dressing room they have also nicknamed him ‘El Ansia’ – the anxious one. ‘His colleagues know that Cristiano dedicates himself body and soul to a long list of obsessions,’ writes Spanish newspaper El País. ‘His sit-ups, his eyebrows, his hair, his fight to ban cigarette smoke, as well as trophies, goals and, of course, the desire to win the Ballon d’Or again.’
It’s true that Ronaldo has a number of obsessions, starting with his physical fitness and appearance. The Portuguese controls his diet right down to the minute details, avoiding excess and abstaining from alcohol completely. If he has a day where he doesn’t stick to his regime as well as he would like, the next day will see him spending an extra half-hour in the gym. His sit-up sessions are famous – they have become the stuff of urban legend. Journalists love asking him exactly how many sit-ups he does per day. He likes to keep his body toned and sculpted, stay at the peak of physical fitness, and maintain the image that the world has of him – or rather, the image of himself that he likes to portray to the world.
His agency has gone on a number of crusades against the British tabloids who have attacked him or his family. On various occasions the cases have gone to court and he has won damages, for example, against the paper that claimed he had gone on a ‘bender’ and splurged 10,000 Euros while out partying. Cristiano dislikes intrusions into his private life or that of his family. He wants to control his public image as much as possible. On the other hand, he doesn’t minimise his public statements – he loves going into detail.
Legend has it that he is obsessed with the length of the grass at his Madrid residence. His gardeners have to take extreme care to ensure it is cut to perfection. He is also said to be fixated on the number seven and his initials CR.
But more than anything else, what consumes him is his desire to be the best – better than anyone, and certainly better than Messi, his rival in the race for the top rung of the world footballing ladder. This can take its toll, as the psychologist Patricia Ramírez explains: ‘Sometimes we are so obsessed with the things we want to achieve that it actually impedes our ability to achieve them. Pushing ourselves to an obsessive extent creates pressure and tension, which does not always leave us in the best state of mind to compete.’
According to psychologists, anxiety, impatience, hyper-motivation and agitation don’t always enable us to give our best performance. The Argentines have even suggested that Cristiano should hop on the psychoanalyst’s couch to work through his ‘super ego’ issues and enable him to admit his obsession with Lionel Messi. But for Ronaldo, it’s not just about his performance, Messi, scoring goals or even winning the Ballon d’Or. His true obsession is something distinctly more unattainable: the pursuit of perfection.
Chapter 28
The future
Three journalists: one Spanish-Argentine, one Portuguese, one English. Three football specialists who are here to voice their ideas, varied opinions, and individual perspectives on Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. And in particular, what the future holds – both long and short term – for a young football star. They will be tackling some fundamental questions and each one will focus on a different area. All three of them have followed CR7’s career in Portugal, England and Spain.
Diego Torres joins us from Spanish daily newspaper El País, Manuel Pereira is the Spanish correspondent of the Portuguese daily A Bola, and Ian Hawkey is the European football correspondent of the Sunday Times. Without any further ado, let’s hear what they have to say.
What do you think of Cristiano Ronaldo as a footballer?
Diego Torres: I like him a lot. He scores fantastic goals and despite the fact that he is getting older and arguably weaker, he is still improving as a striker every day. Because, let’s face it, at 27 he must feel a certain amount of pain that he didn’t feel at eighteen or twenty. But he is still improving as a player.
Manuel Pereira: He’s a fantastic footballer. He has enormous physical power, great speed, he runs well, he scores excellent goals, although he’s perhaps not as good a team player as he c
ould be. He was moulded at Sporting, after leaving Portugal at such a young age. That’s where he learned the basics. But when he got to Man United, with Alex Ferguson, that’s where he learned the English game and they really looked after him there. He learnt a huge amount. Most importantly, that’s where he developed from a physical perspective. They made a really great footballer out of him at the Red Devil academy. When he came to Madrid he was already a fully developed player. He really is a great footballer, one of the best Iberian and European footballers of his era.
Ian Hawkey: He’s a magnificent athlete. He has an impressive physique, he’s strong and fast, and to top it all he scores a ton of goals. He is a professional, who takes care of his body as if it were a machine, to the point of vanity, even. It’s his most important tool. In addition, he has enormous self-confidence – another essential tool in any footballer’s armoury. He has been ambitious since childhood. He was always audacious, always trying difficult tricks – he still does, and he always pulls them off. He’s the epitome of a modern footballer. If you had to find one criticism of him, you could argue that at Man United he made life harder for himself doing fancy footwork. Perhaps that’s because he was still very young.
Which of his qualities impress you most?
DT: The way he kicks the ball. He has amazing power and he makes an incredible impact on the ball – whether he’s shooting high or low. And it’s not just when he’s taking free kicks: even in the middle of the action he can shoot the ball in a perfect arc that soars up and then dips low. That’s an extremely difficult ball for a goalkeeper. It doesn’t go straight, it’s a killer ball to face.