Is C.Ronaldo proving to be the greatest heel the sport has ever seen?

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For those who have watched nba during jordan era. How does Jordan compare with Ronaldo in terms of character ? Is Jordan a narcissistic too ? I heard he is pretty much an asshole to opponents and even to his team mates.
Jordan was the same - you just have to listen to his HOF speach. He was lucky to a degree that social didn't exist then, as its not something the casual fan ever got exposed to.

Not that social media has done anything to deter the fanfare around Ronaldo.
 

Djemba-Djemba

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I think Ronaldo genuinely has some affection for Fergie.

That's it though, I don't think he gives a shit about anything else in football
 

TheReligion

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Narcissism and loyalty (to anything but oneself) are a contradiction in terms, but normally a good/great narcissist keeps the mask on and the guise going long enough to have their time, with the masses none the wiser to the inner goings on of the person in question - a true narcissist can appear to be a stalwart unbeknownst to those around them that all supposed commitment to the cause is and was utterly self-serving.

In this instance, fanbases have perhaps been duped, that or Ronaldo is going through the footballing equivalent of a mid-life crisis... although, to that end, IMO, it'd be more like that elderly person who couldn't care less about societal airs and graces anymore and gets away with doing and saying as they please

With Ronaldo genuinely looking like he's going to Atletico (if they'll take him), it's made clear that the City actioning wasn't a bluff - there's no such thing as loyalty or legacy to anything but oneself and one's own ambitions... Ronaldo is the legacy, as clear as that is now, which can potentially put not one, but two clubs' supporters collective noses out of joint and surely produce the greatest heel reveal and turn we've ever seen from someone of such standing?

To be clear, great players have switched clubs and played for the former great rival, that in itself isn't new. Luis Ronaldo (no less) played for Barcelona and Madrid as well as both Milanese clubs; Michael Laudrup and Luis Figo played for both Spanish giants, but I cannot think of another true great who has been prepared to sever or discard to their own ends like Ronaldo is [seemingly] doing for no particular reason other than his personal pursuits that don't really need any more icing (is this all really about remaining equidistant to he who shall not be named in the CL scoring charts?), certainly not to the point where you scorch earth/legacies as a near retiree! It's the greatest feck you since Hit 'Em Up, isn't it?

There's mirth to be had in watching a Superman for some reveal he was perhaps Homelander all along - if not mirth then certainly bemusement, but is this unprecedented? Who even comes close to having a heel turn like this? You can't use journeymen - it simply has to be an all-time great. A player with genuine legacy - multiple in this instance - and great standing in the first place, to lose.

I don't think I can recall a player scrubbing his good graces out purposely like this. It's bizarre, isn't it? Are there any candidates to even challenge Ronaldo for [now] greatest heel of all time? Which dastardly, indisputably great players deserve mention alongside 'our' Ronnie?
Has there been some kind of update today as I don’t think he looks like he’s going anywhere as it stands, least not Atletico?
 

KeanoMagicHat

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Ronaldo's Instagram really reveals what he's like, if anyone doubted it. That post of "2021 is coming to an end and it was far from an easy year, despite my 47 goals scored across all competitions" sums Ronaldo up, as well as regularly liking digs at Messi or GOAT debates and the dig at Rooney etc. He's always been pretty insecure and precious, just look at the strops on the sidelines. At 37 years old you might think he would have enough self awareness to accept an elder statesman role and finish his career with the slightest bit of grace, but apparently not.

He's a great goalscorer, everyone knows that and nothing changes with that. The only thing that could change his legacy would be Golden Boot at the World Cup and Portugal winning it. Otherwise it honestly doesn't matter if he has scored 837 career goals or 807 career goals at this point. He's doing more damage to his legacy with this sort of stuff than a few more CL group stage goals are going to do.

It seems he's really triggered by Messi having 7 Ballon d'Ors to his 5 when that is the thing he cares about the most in the world. And somehow he has deluded himself that he's capable of getting two Ballon d'Ors in the next two years to catch up. When the harsh reality is that if he was anywhere near a Ballon d'Or candidate, the top clubs would be lining up for him. But he's just not good enough anymore. And that's fine you know, any normal personality would accept that you've been a world-class player for 15 years, it's okay to decline.
 

Gehrman

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Ronaldo's Instagram really reveals what he's like, if anyone doubted it. That post of "2021 is coming to an end and it was far from an easy year, despite my 47 goals scored across all competitions" sums Ronaldo up, as well as regularly liking digs at Messi or GOAT debates and the dig at Rooney etc. He's always been pretty insecure and precious, just look at the strops on the sidelines. At 37 years old you might think he would have enough self awareness to accept an elder statesman role and finish his career with the slightest bit of grace, but apparently not.

He's a great goalscorer, everyone knows that and nothing changes with that. The only thing that could change his legacy would be Golden Boot at the World Cup and Portugal winning it. Otherwise it honestly doesn't matter if he has scored 837 career goals or 807 career goals at this point. He's doing more damage to his legacy with this sort of stuff than a few more CL group stage goals are going to do.

It seems he's really triggered by Messi having 7 Ballon d'Ors to his 5 when that is the thing he cares about the most in the world. And somehow he has deluded himself that he's capable of getting two Ballon d'Ors in the next two years to catch up. When the harsh reality is that if he was anywhere near a Ballon d'Or candidate, the top clubs would be lining up for him. But he's just not good enough anymore. And that's fine you know, any normal personality would accept that you've been a world-class player for 15 years, it's okay to decline.
I disagree that he's damaging his legacy. He already sealed his legacy long ago. I'd say when he won the 3 peat with Real. Nothing he does now will ever damage his legacy as a great footballer. It just reinforces that he's a narcissist wanker. I agree that him chasing records for himself gets a bit tiresome at this stage. The guy isn't a team player.
 

Kopral Jono

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There are Madridistas who idolise him as much as some of our lot. He is discarding with them and potentially severing future engagements with them and us. The guy could have been an ambassador at either club, for example. If he goes to Atletico, that's off the table. Not that he cares, but it is a strange thing to relinquish for no good reason, to me at least.
What absolutely boggles my mind is that he seems to be doing all this just because he wants to add a few more Champions League goals to his record. Crazy.
 

Spoony

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Ronaldo spent 90% of his peak at Madrid, he had two great seasons at OT yet you'd think he spent most of his career at United the way some fans adored him. I'm glad most are realising that he doesn't give a feck. But yeah to seriously piss two fanbases off takes a special type of cnut.
 

KeanoMagicHat

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I disagree that he's damaging his legacy. He already sealed his legacy long ago. I'd say when he won the 3 peat with Real. Nothing he does now will ever damage his legacy as a great footballer. It just reinforces that he's a narcissist wanker.
That's partly what I mean and that does seep into people's opinions and if Ronaldo had enough self-awareness, he'd realise that pissing off Manchester United fans, one of the world's biggest fanbases, then Real Madrid fans, one of the biggest fanbases, for the sake of a few more CL group stage goals is a terrible move in the long-term court of public opinion.

You just have to look at this forum where he lost votes in the Messi vs Ronaldo poll when he flirted with City and then immediately gained lots of votes when he was playing for United. And gained 3-4% on Messi in that poll, in what I would consider his worst season of the last 13-14 years. Because he was playing for United.

Which would be better for his career legacy?

Leading United to top 4 in the "toughest" league in the world next season, winning the Europa League/FA Cup, then saying in the media how much he loved United and it was his goal to bring them to their "rightful" place in elite football. Then retiring.

Or

Pissing off Real Madrid and United fans to play for Atletico Madrid and finish distant 3rd in La Liga, scoring 17 goals, then scoring 5 more CL goals in the group stage before going out in the last 16 to Man City.
 

Pogba's Barber

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He's probably a decent person deep down, but has that selfish ruthlessness common in successful people at the highest level.

Are we forgetting his famous wink at the 2006 World Cup when Rooney got sent off? That's when I first realised that he can be a bit of a bell-end if it helps him win.

Anyway, you know what they say about nice guys...
 

Dirty Schwein

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No, that's HHH
:lol:

But yeah maybe he's not loyal but why does it matter?

He doesn't owe the club anything.

He played for us and gave his all and helped us win many trophies.

We paid him handsomely.

I don't understand why people are so angry...
 

TsuWave

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Think-pieces because a guy doesn’t want to play in a non-CL club, which a substantial number of people already knew was going to happen?
 

tomaldinho1

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Ronaldo spent 90% of his peak at Madrid, he had two great seasons at OT yet you'd think he spent most of his career at United the way some fans adored him. I'm glad most are realising that he doesn't give a feck. But yeah to seriously piss two fanbases off takes a special type of cnut.
I genuinely think with United it's a case of us being well below standard for about a decade now & almost harking back to the 'good old days' with Ronaldo somehow, even as old as he is, giving us comfort that we are/can still be that club. It's the same flawed thinking that essentially ran our transfer dealings under Woodward, 'we are Man United and we want the best names because we are a big club'.
 

Gehrman

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That's partly what I mean and that does seep into people's opinions and if Ronaldo had enough self-awareness, he'd realise that pissing off Manchester United fans, one of the world's biggest fanbases, then Real Madrid fans, one of the biggest fanbases, for the sake of a few more CL group stage goals is a terrible move in the long-term court of public opinion.

You just have to look at this forum where he lost votes in the Messi vs Ronaldo poll when he flirted with City and then immediately gained lots of votes when he was playing for United. And gained 3-4% on Messi in that poll, in what I would consider his worst season of the last 13-14 years. Because he was playing for United.

Which would be better for his career legacy?

Leading United to top 4 in the "toughest" league in the world next season, winning the Europa League/FA Cup, then saying in the media how much he loved United and it was his goal to bring them to their "rightful" place in elite football. Then retiring.

Or

Pissing off Real Madrid and United fans to play for Atletico Madrid and finish distant 3rd in La Liga, scoring 17 goals, then scoring 5 more CL goals in the group stage before going out in the last 16 to Man City.
Yeah I get your point. It damages his legend status with us and Real. However on the other hand the guy is 37,5. In many ways very few should actually care what he does now. His best years are long over. Anything positive he does on a pitch from now on is just a small bonus. I doubt he'll be the key player in a team to win the CL or a major league title. Portugal have a decent chance at winning the WC this winter though, there are no clear favourites and portugal are strong.. But yeah I completely get what you mean.
 

Alan Partridge

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I think we need to stop expecting footballers to love the clubs they play for, no matter how much we love them to many it’s just the place where they ply their trade.

And of course unrequited love hurts.
 

Iker Quesadillas

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Which would be better for his career legacy?

Leading United to top 4 in the "toughest" league in the world next season, winning the Europa League/FA Cup, then saying in the media how much he loved United and it was his goal to bring them to their "rightful" place in elite football. Then retiring.

Or

Pissing off Real Madrid and United fans to play for Atletico Madrid and finish distant 3rd in La Liga, scoring 17 goals, then scoring 5 more CL goals in the group stage before going out in the last 16 to Man City.
Well it's not really a great argument if you fix the outcomes. I can do the same. What would be better for his career legacy:

Fail to lead United to the top 4 in the toughest league in the world, crash out of all cups somewhere in the R16/QFs, and retiring as everyone can see he's not what he used to be

Or

Moving to Atletico Madrid and winning their precious first CL, making him the player with joint-most CL victories in football history?
 

africanspur

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Not even close. He looks out for himself though and has always been a twat. Most people who didn't support one of his clubs/ supported him knew that, even if we could appreciate his talents.
 

OpenIntrovert

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Ignoring the overly exaggerated image by the media on C.Ronaldo, he is simply an extremely ambitious player who believes in pushing himself beyond the limits of what is the norm.
Surprisingly, he has a soft side which can be seen from his philantrophic contributions and many engagements with fans. He is also a very private person when it comes to family.

Ego in terms of wanting to be the best, yes. Ego in terms of wanting to have all attention on him, obviously no. People should know that a narcissist cannot function well with children, their partners or even their parents. Ronaldo is anything but that.

Coming to this topic, he is nowhere near a heel. He only loves Real Madrid, Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon with stronger ties to Real and Sporting. He will never join their arch rivals which are Barcelona, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and Benfica. Its out of the question for him and those clubs. He has spent so much time riling up all these 4 clubs that only people who are blinded with hatred for him will believe that he will go to Barcelona, Liverpool, Atletico or Benfica.
 

youmeletsfly

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The so called "clubs" he'd join are fecking employers.
I guess he's a sports man, public figure and all that shit, but if you can hate the man as an Atletico fan because he played for the other team, you're a speciall type of idiot and deserve to be called out.

Football and being a fan has its limits and these days fans aren't that attached to clubs anymore.
If he goes to ATM the fans will boo him for a while(which I find stupid but hey, the average man loses half his iq when stepping into a stadium) and later love him when he is banging in the goals.
 

Mickeza

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Not even close. He looks out for himself though and has always been a twat. Most people who didn't support one of his clubs/ supported him knew that, even if we could appreciate his talents.
I don’t know how anyone who supported United couldn’t know that. He was an utter cnut for half of the 2009 campaign throwing hissy fits everywhere sulking around the pitch and not really celebrating team goals letting everyone know how unhappy he was at the indignity of staying an extra year with the European Champions. He’s always been a colossal bellend. His talent and incredible ability meant you put up with it. That is no longer the case - he now causes more issues than he solves.
 

2ndTouch

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Ignoring the overly exaggerated image by the media on C.Ronaldo, he is simply an extremely ambitious player who believes in pushing himself beyond the limits of what is the norm.
Surprisingly, he has a soft side which can be seen from his philantrophic contributions and many engagements with fans. He is also a very private person when it comes to family.

Ego in terms of wanting to be the best, yes. Ego in terms of wanting to have all attention on him, obviously no. People should know that a narcissist cannot function well with children, their partners or even their parents. Ronaldo is anything but that.

Coming to this topic, he is nowhere near a heel. He only loves Real Madrid, Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon with stronger ties to Real and Sporting. He will never join their arch rivals which are Barcelona, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and Benfica. Its out of the question for him and those clubs. He has spent so much time riling up all these 4 clubs that only people who are blinded with hatred for him will believe that he will go to Barcelona, Liverpool, Atletico or Benfica.
:lol:
 

Isotope

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There are Madridistas who idolise him as much as some of our lot. He is discarding with them and potentially severing future engagements with them and us. The guy could have been an ambassador at either club, for example. If he goes to Atletico, that's off the table. Not that he cares, but it is a strange thing to relinquish for no good reason, to me at least.
Are Madrid fans really pissed if their 38 y.o. ex-player joining in Atletico? Schmeichel or Denis Law join City didn't bother me at all.

Baggio is considered Juventus legend, even though he also played for Milan and Inter after leaving Juve.
 
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Swordsman

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There are a lot of similarities, and also similarities to this spell and Jordan's Washington Wizards spell. Jordan was past his best but still scored at an okay clip, but the team suffered.

In reality a lot more great sportspeople finish without grace than those that retire at the top. Think Ali doing pointless exhibitions in the 1980s or Mayweather now. The end of Maradona's career, barely being fit enough to get around the pitch.
another question which great sports person retire at the peak of their career ?
 

GueRed

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It still baffles me that there were loads advocating Cristiano to be Manchester United's Captain.:houllier:
 

KeanoMagicHat

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another question which great sports person retire at the peak of their career ?
Bjorn Borg, Cantona are two that come to mind. Not at their absolute peak but Zidane and Lahm retired before they had time to decline much. Zidane with the disgrace of the headbutt, but he was only a penalty shootout victory away from retiring as the best player on a World Cup winning team, which is as good as it gets.
 

KeanoMagicHat

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Well it's not really a great argument if you fix the outcomes. I can do the same. What would be better for his career legacy:

Fail to lead United to the top 4 in the toughest league in the world, crash out of all cups somewhere in the R16/QFs, and retiring as everyone can see he's not what he used to be

Or

Moving to Atletico Madrid and winning their precious first CL, making him the player with joint-most CL victories in football history?
True but my outcome was at least a lot more realistic than yours. I said top 4 finish. I didn't say win the league and United have a better chance in the bookmakers of winning the Premier League than Atletico have of winning the Champions League.
 

RedDave0209

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I cannot stomach the fact that he is having such a tantrum when we need him the most. I fully agree with the OP, no loyalty to anyone but himself. The guy is already a living legend in the world of football. Helping us win the first title since SAF left would be a fantastic achievement (unlikely I know) but no... he's more concerned about stat padding.
 

Gehrman

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another question which great sports person retire at the peak of their career ?
Wouldn't say any great player retires at their peak but some retire on a high. Cantona, Zidane to some extent that he was stil brilliant. Vds, lost the CL final but won the league.
 

Swordsman

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I cannot stomach the fact that he is having such a tantrum when we need him the most. I fully agree with the OP, no loyalty to anyone but himself. The guy is already a living legend in the world of football. Helping us win the first title since SAF left would be a fantastic achievement (unlikely I know) but no... he's more concerned about stat padding.
He need Tom cruise help if you get what I mean. :D
 

Dumbstar

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I said it in 2008/09 and I'll repeat it now. Utd are cnuts and should stop this despicable slave trade on poor old Ronaldo. Release the man. :angel:
 

Gehrman

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Ignoring the overly exaggerated image by the media on C.Ronaldo, he is simply an extremely ambitious player who believes in pushing himself beyond the limits of what is the norm.
Surprisingly, he has a soft side which can be seen from his philantrophic contributions and many engagements with fans. He is also a very private person when it comes to family.

Ego in terms of wanting to be the best, yes. Ego in terms of wanting to have all attention on him, obviously no. People should know that a narcissist cannot function well with children, their partners or even their parents. Ronaldo is anything but that.

Coming to this topic, he is nowhere near a heel. He only loves Real Madrid, Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon with stronger ties to Real and Sporting. He will never join their arch rivals which are Barcelona, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and Benfica. Its out of the question for him and those clubs. He has spent so much time riling up all these 4 clubs that only people who are blinded with hatred for him will believe that he will go to Barcelona, Liverpool, Atletico or Benfica.
Erm I don't think I've seen a bigger attention whore than Ronaldo. And narcissists can function well when you have millions treating you like a god.
 
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