CR7

 CR7

Christiano Ronaldo has not declared his retirement from football yet. Still, we could, without much debate, conclude that he has played his last match for his country. He may continue playing for a club, provided he gets accommodated by a club of some repute.

The debate, whether Ronaldo is the best  football player  in the  World is of no relevance, according to me. Any attempt to anoint anyone in such a throne will be tantamount to belittling many incredible players who made immense contributions to the game of football. Even the constant comparison between players like Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar and so will never lead us to anywhere and will not be sufficient to prove their greatness.

It is quite unfortunate that Ronaldo is not leaving his National team with some fond memories to carry. In fact, his last few months were mired with waves of controversies. First it was his ignominious exit from Manchester United. Though it was obvious, the exit was ill timed. Then we heard the rumours of him having issues with the National Team coach. All those rumours were denied by the coach and the team. Still, in the last matches Ronaldo could play only for the last twenty odd minutes. While assuming what conspired between him and the coach, one thing which can be confidently said is that a player of Ronaldo's stature does not deserve such a treatment. 

Ronaldo has represented Portugal in five world cup tournaments, which in itself is a great feat. He is also the captain of the team. If he could play the last few minutes, he could  as well have played the first few minutes. What message the coach was trying to convey by not including Ronaldo in the first eleven is difficult to comprehend. We all know he is not the player he used to be. At thirty seven you can't expect him to be so agile and accurate. If he is not adding any value to the team, then there was no need to  include him in the team. Since he was a part of the team, it would have been fair to field him in the first eleven and later substitute him, if he is not able to perform well.

That Ronaldo is one of the best players football have ever seen cannot be denied. He had created many magical and unbelievable moments on the field.His speed, agility and the ability to score from any point will not easily find a match. Hence he deserved a better treatment while bidding farewell to the biggest tournament of the game.

Ronaldo always carried his heart on his sleeves. He was outspoken and never minced words. That gave him an image of being arrogant. Definitely he is arrogant. However, let us not forget the fact that it is this arrogancy and self- appreciation which gives the players like him the fuel to perform consistently for so many years.It is this carefully built ego over years which propel them to  move forward. ( Even if we attend any personality development programs the one point they keep driving at is to make ourself believe that- I AM THE BEST). The moment they doubt their own abilities and capabilities, they will be destroyed for ever, without getting a chance to come back.

It is not easy to be one  among the world's top football players for such a long time. Billions are invested on him and he needs to perform consistently for his esteemed club. In between, he needs to represent his national team, help them in winning tournaments, motivate and train young players, and also take the responsibility for the team's performance. It will be suffocating to be under surveillance  all the time. How intimidating it will be when every movement you make, or every word you utter is subjected to scrutiny? Ronaldo has withstood all these tests and turbulences.

The most painful part is when a player reaches the twilight years of his illustrious career, like Ronaldo. That is when the player realises that he is just  the pale shadow of the bright shining star he once was.Even when the mind pushes him forward, he realises the body becoming slow. The missed chances and slowing pace will start haunting him. Suddenly, he won't be greeted by those roaring galleries. Those who treated him as a King will start finding fault in whatever he does. Those who protected him from all controversies and allegations will slowly take a back stage. He will be torn between the irresistible urge to keep performing and the inability to dominate the field the way he did. Eventually, he will be like that ball which missed the goal post.

 The great Archer Arjuna had gone through a similar predicament when he realised how useless his mighty weapon called Gandiva had become. Today, when Ronaldo is struggling to come to terms with the inevitability of facing those empty galleries, let us not at least crucify him. Let us be grateful to him for giving those magical moments on field,and for making the game of football more beautiful. We can always pray that the rest of his career will end up in a much brighter way. There is no need to hold colourful canopy over his head while he travel his last few miles. Instead,we could store many of those wonderful memories we have about him in our hearts. As the blind fans of Messi, Mbappe and the rest sharpen their weapons to pounce on Ronaldo, let us not forget that old saying, " if it is me today, it can be you tomorrow". Let us not be that green leaf which dances in merriment and scorn with contempt  when it sees an old leaf falling.