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  The Tears of a Genius: Football's Love-Hate Relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo

The Tears of a Genius Football's Love-Hate Relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo

By Cathrin Gilbert and Lothar Gorris

Part 2: 'I Can't Do Everything'

In 2004, at 19, he played his first European Championship for Portugal. At 21, he was one of the more flamboyant players at the World Cup in Germany -- until one of those Ronaldo moments happened in the quarter final against England. Wayne Rooney, one of his teammates at Manchester, had kicked a Portuguese player in the groin. Ronaldo demanded that the referee eject him from the field. When Rooney was sent off, Ronaldo winked at his trainer. In the penalty shootout, he scored the goal that sent England home.

The cover of the British tabloid The Sun featured a photo of Ronaldo superimposed on a dartboard, with the player's winking eye as the bullseye. The Sunday Mirror demanded that he be denied entry into Great Britain. England's former captain, Alan Shearer, suggested that Rooney give his Portuguese teammate a slap in the face the next time he saw him.

After the tournament, Ronaldo fled to Madeira. "He sat in front of the TV for hours," says his mother. He talked about switching to Real Madrid and said that he had never liked England much anyway. ManU manager Ferguson flew to Madeira to convince Ronaldo to return. "It wasn't easy for Cristiano," says his mother.

Ferguson has always seen Ronaldo's eccentric tendencies as a willingness to take risks, and his arrogance as the search for the unique. Under Ferguson's guidance, Ronaldo has matured into a world-class player over the last two years, a player who no longer sparkles merely when his team is ahead. He has reduced his propensity for step overs and dives. He has also been named England's Footballer of the Year twice since then.

Ferguson knows what he has in Ronaldo. He was the first to embrace him on the field in Moscow. After that, Ronaldo was asked to step up onto the stand, behind ManU icon Bobby Charlton, to receive his medal. By the time he had the trophy in his hands, his breakdown on the field was already ancient history.

'Cristiano Means No Harm'

It is 4 a.m. and still raining outside when Ronaldo talks to the press at Lushniki Stadium. "Why do you still want to talk about the penalty kick?" he asks the reporters. "I won the Champions League, and the medal is hanging around my neck." He tells them that he never had any doubts that his team would win the match. "I botched the penalty kick, but I did score a goal in the match. I can't do everything. That's impossible."

The journalists also ask him about the ongoing rumors of a switch to Madrid. On the day of the match, Ronaldo's manager allegedly met with representatives of Real in Moscow. Their offer consisted of €90 million ($140 million) for Manchester and a €9.5 million ($14.7 million) annual salary for Ronaldo -- after taxes. Madrid wants Ronaldo the football genius, as well as Ronaldo the circus horse, who dreams of becoming an actor one day. He is easy to market -- just as easy as Beckham, who also came from Manchester.

Ronaldo finally put an end to weeks of speculation Thursday with a statement, published on the Brazilian Web site Terra, saying that he wanted to leave Manchester United for Real Madrid. "I want to play for Real Madrid, but only if it is true they are eager to pay me and Manchester United what they have been saying they will," said Ronaldo. "However, it does not depend on me."

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon responded by saying he was flattered by Ronaldo's decision: "For Madrid it is an honor to know that a player like him thinks that playing at Real Madrid would be good."

Although Alex Ferguson's reaction is not yet known, he is likely to be disappointed with the development. Reports Friday suggested that Ferguson was prepared to break off his holiday in France to visit Portugal's Euro 2008 training base in Switzerland, in an attempt to dissuade Ronaldo from leaving the club.

Whatever happens, the British media will never be particularly fond of Ronaldo. British journalists see him as a man who is most in love with the image he sees in his bathroom mirror. On the day after the Moscow game, their reports were filled with speculation over his possible switch to Madrid and his peculiar tears on the pitch.

"Cristiano means no harm," says his mother in Madeira. "He's always been that way."

Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan

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