Post by MagicalUnited on Dec 1, 2008 19:31:58 GMT -1
Cristiano Ronaldo was amazed when he saw referee Howard Webb show him his second yellow card, and consequently the red, 68 minutes into the game with Manchester City. The Portuguese player tried to explain himself to the referee, claiming that he though that the game had already been stopped, but to no avail. The truth is that Cristiano Ronaldo really heard a whistle and, because of that, purely and simply stopped trying to head the ball. “Rooney knocked in the corner, I jumped and that was when I heard a shout from Richards [the City defender] and simultaneously the sound of a whistle”, Cristiano Ronaldo explained to Gestifute Media. “At that moment I was convinced that the referee had whistled for a foul, I stopped trying to head the ball and score a goal, and I grabbed the ball so Richards could get help”.
This gesture was the most innocent possible and with the best of intentions, because the Portuguese international was completely convinced that the game had been stopped, just to suffer the consequences “It never entered my mind that the referee would show me the yellow card because, for me, I hadn’t done anything wrong: to the contrary - after Richards yelled I thought that he was hurt and needed assistance” states the best player in the world. “I heard the whistle, so I took the initiative to stop the match”, he added. It was only later that Cristiano Ronaldo understood what had happened. “I understood the referee wanted to talk to me, but then, maybe influenced by the fans, he put his hand in his pocket and sent me off. I tried to explain what had happened, but he didn’t want to listen”. Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off 22 minutes before the end, and is going to miss the Carling Cup game this Wednesday (a quarter-final against Blackburn Rovers) and is only happy because it was “a good game for United and an important victory” gained at City’s ground. “We ended up getting the result with ten players, and that was undoubtedly very important”.
The eyes of the world are on this number seven who picks up more trophies every year that passes but who, simultaneously, is the subject of different comments and criticisms, and for the most absurd reasons. Cristiano Ronaldo guarantees he will be “ever-more concentrated”, at the same time recognising that people are increasingly focussed on him. “I have come to understood that every movement I make, on or off the pitch, is analysed to death: If I don’t celebrate goals it is because I am sad, if I talk to the public it is because I have lost my humility, in other words my smallest gesture always gets every type of criticism”, he says, at the same time guaranteeing that he is going to continue to be the same Cristiano Ronaldo as always, “a Cristiano Ronaldo who is humble, respectful, works hard, is ambitious and perfectionist”. “They don’t see that my manner in life and in football has changed”, he states. “People are always waiting for me to do something, and they pick on absolutely normal and unimportant things to criticise. They analyse things that have nothing unusual about them through a magnifying glass”, he adds, guaranteeing that he will never stop being the same. “Cristiano Ronaldo will continue to be the same as he always was, regardless of what happens on and off the pitch. But as my friends say, and as people who know me well say, they only criticise the best, so what else can I say? Just that I am damned if I do, and damned if I don’t”.
The power of the media is something that Cristiano Ronaldo has only recently understood in full, after a declaration, which he never made, that in the world of football “I am the first, second and third best in the world”. This is a sentence that never left his lips, although in fact he is the best player on the planet. “I didn’t say it, purely and simply I never made this statement”, he guarantees convincingly, considering that all the speculation was “abusive and absurd” that did not deserve an immediate denial, and he only now has an idea of what really happened. “I have started to get tired of denying things”, he says on his own behalf. “Anyone who knows me knows I would never make that sort of statement, but unfortunately today people write what they want without thinking about the consequences”. The pure truth is that Cristiano Ronaldo once again saw his name dragged into a debate because of something he didn’t do and never would do, because that is not how he lives his football. “It would not be right to show my professional colleagues so little respect and as well as that it’s not what I think” he affirms. “What I really think – and anyone around me knows it without needing to check with me – is that all the other players nominated for the prize as the best player in the world have the ability to win. Anyone close to me knows that collective trophies are much more important than individual prizes. Of course I am not going to lie – I have to admit that I am proud of winning individual prizes. Also, I am not a hypocrite, and so I think that in view of everything that happened last season I am very well placed to win the prizes that are being awarded, but I would never say that I am the first, second and third best in the world, because it is a question of respect for the other candidates and because I think they all have the potential to win”.
What he wants for this season is to work calmly, always with the same winning spirit and with his characteristic ambition; a season that started late for him, because of the surgery he had to have. But not even this fact stops Cristiano Ronaldo from fighting hard to make this season as good as the last one, or even better. “I am fine”, he affirms. “I have scored some important goals, I have improved and genuinely believe I can have a season as good as the last one, or even better. I am the same player, I work hard and play hard, and I aim to score many, many goals”, he promises. This is the real Cristiano Ronaldo.
This gesture was the most innocent possible and with the best of intentions, because the Portuguese international was completely convinced that the game had been stopped, just to suffer the consequences “It never entered my mind that the referee would show me the yellow card because, for me, I hadn’t done anything wrong: to the contrary - after Richards yelled I thought that he was hurt and needed assistance” states the best player in the world. “I heard the whistle, so I took the initiative to stop the match”, he added. It was only later that Cristiano Ronaldo understood what had happened. “I understood the referee wanted to talk to me, but then, maybe influenced by the fans, he put his hand in his pocket and sent me off. I tried to explain what had happened, but he didn’t want to listen”. Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off 22 minutes before the end, and is going to miss the Carling Cup game this Wednesday (a quarter-final against Blackburn Rovers) and is only happy because it was “a good game for United and an important victory” gained at City’s ground. “We ended up getting the result with ten players, and that was undoubtedly very important”.
The eyes of the world are on this number seven who picks up more trophies every year that passes but who, simultaneously, is the subject of different comments and criticisms, and for the most absurd reasons. Cristiano Ronaldo guarantees he will be “ever-more concentrated”, at the same time recognising that people are increasingly focussed on him. “I have come to understood that every movement I make, on or off the pitch, is analysed to death: If I don’t celebrate goals it is because I am sad, if I talk to the public it is because I have lost my humility, in other words my smallest gesture always gets every type of criticism”, he says, at the same time guaranteeing that he is going to continue to be the same Cristiano Ronaldo as always, “a Cristiano Ronaldo who is humble, respectful, works hard, is ambitious and perfectionist”. “They don’t see that my manner in life and in football has changed”, he states. “People are always waiting for me to do something, and they pick on absolutely normal and unimportant things to criticise. They analyse things that have nothing unusual about them through a magnifying glass”, he adds, guaranteeing that he will never stop being the same. “Cristiano Ronaldo will continue to be the same as he always was, regardless of what happens on and off the pitch. But as my friends say, and as people who know me well say, they only criticise the best, so what else can I say? Just that I am damned if I do, and damned if I don’t”.
The power of the media is something that Cristiano Ronaldo has only recently understood in full, after a declaration, which he never made, that in the world of football “I am the first, second and third best in the world”. This is a sentence that never left his lips, although in fact he is the best player on the planet. “I didn’t say it, purely and simply I never made this statement”, he guarantees convincingly, considering that all the speculation was “abusive and absurd” that did not deserve an immediate denial, and he only now has an idea of what really happened. “I have started to get tired of denying things”, he says on his own behalf. “Anyone who knows me knows I would never make that sort of statement, but unfortunately today people write what they want without thinking about the consequences”. The pure truth is that Cristiano Ronaldo once again saw his name dragged into a debate because of something he didn’t do and never would do, because that is not how he lives his football. “It would not be right to show my professional colleagues so little respect and as well as that it’s not what I think” he affirms. “What I really think – and anyone around me knows it without needing to check with me – is that all the other players nominated for the prize as the best player in the world have the ability to win. Anyone close to me knows that collective trophies are much more important than individual prizes. Of course I am not going to lie – I have to admit that I am proud of winning individual prizes. Also, I am not a hypocrite, and so I think that in view of everything that happened last season I am very well placed to win the prizes that are being awarded, but I would never say that I am the first, second and third best in the world, because it is a question of respect for the other candidates and because I think they all have the potential to win”.
What he wants for this season is to work calmly, always with the same winning spirit and with his characteristic ambition; a season that started late for him, because of the surgery he had to have. But not even this fact stops Cristiano Ronaldo from fighting hard to make this season as good as the last one, or even better. “I am fine”, he affirms. “I have scored some important goals, I have improved and genuinely believe I can have a season as good as the last one, or even better. I am the same player, I work hard and play hard, and I aim to score many, many goals”, he promises. This is the real Cristiano Ronaldo.
