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

Fortitude

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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?
 

RedRonaldo

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L.Ronaldo did played for both Barcelona and Real, he also played for both Inter and Milan.

So there you go, played for 4 clubs which happened to be 2 of the biggest rivalry in 2 different country, don't think there will be another bigger heel than him.
 

phelans shorts

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But Ronaldo’s mask came off a long, long time ago. Literally nobody who watched football was unaware that he was a raging narcissist for at least the last decade. To the point where literally nobody would be dumb enough to question whether the City move was paper talk, it was obviously real.
 

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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.
The thing is though, this is nothing out of Ronaldo's character. I don't think he was ever putting on a mask for anyone. He's always displayed this complete lack of self awareness or ability to read the room.

He genuinely thinks he's the greatest footballer of all time and extending his goal scoring record in the CL and/or winning another one is all about adding another badge to his decorated career. I'm surprised anyone who regularly has to work with him can even stand him.
 

Fortitude

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L.Ronaldo did played for both Barcelona and Real, he also played for both Inter and Milan.

So there you go, played for 4 clubs which happened to be 2 of the biggest rivalry in 2 different country, don't think there will be another bigger heel than him.
Methinks you got as far as the title.
 

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Well, in all fairness, he did say last year he eouldn’t want to play for us when we’d be playing for 6th or 7th, not winning anything. So he’s been honest. And with the transfers we’ve made, the players we were/are interested in, I totally agree with him that it doesn’t show like we mean business. So so far he’s been honest and fair with us really. Am I disappointed he’s going down this road? Yes. But I wouldn’t go no where as far as calling him a heel.
 

Fortitude

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The thing is though, this is nothing out of Ronaldo's character. I don't think he was ever putting on a mask for anyone. He's always displayed this complete lack of self awareness or ability to read the room.

He genuinely thinks he's the greatest footballer of all time and extending his goal scoring record in the CL and/or winning another one is all about adding another badge to his decorated career. I'm surprised anyone who regularly has to work with him can even stand him.
Before this summer, I would have said there's smatterings of X, Y or Z. Petulance and an unrelenting, unashamed desire to be the best, but I wouldn't have expected him to discard the adulation of two fanbases like this - to me, that's where the mask has slipped and there isn't even a question of what he stands for, that being himself.

It's a crazy thing to do just short of retirement, don't you think?
 

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Before this summer, I would have said there's smatterings of X, Y or Z. Petulance and an unrelenting, unashamed desire to be the best, but I wouldn't have expected him to discard the adulation of two fanbases like this - to me, that's where the mask has slipped and there isn't even a question of what he stands for, that being himself.

It's a crazy thing to do just short of retirement, don't you think?
One fanbase. His transfer to Atletico, if it does materialize, will have the same effect on Real fans as Big Pete returning from Portugal to play for City on Utd fans.

Unless, of course, he helps Atletico to the league and eliminate Real from the CL.
 

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Before this summer, I would have said there's smatterings of X, Y or Z. Petulance and an unrelenting, unashamed desire to be the best, but I wouldn't have expected him to discard the adulation of two fanbases like this - to me, that's where the mask has slipped and there isn't even a question of what he stands for, that being himself.

It's a crazy thing to do just short of retirement, don't you think?
But he doesn't have the self awareness to even realise that might even happen. And tbf, he's probably right. His own personal fanbase wouldn't care.
 

Fortitude

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One fanbase. His transfer to Atletico, if it does materialize, will have the same effect on Real fans as Big Pete returning from Portugal to play for City on Utd fans.

Unless, of course, he helps Atletico to the league and eliminate Real from the CL.
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.
 

Fortitude

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But he doesn't have the self awareness to even realise that might even happen. And tbf, he's probably right. His own personal fanbase wouldn't care.
You don't think it was all somewhat ambiguous and open to debate what he stood for before this summer?

To many, he was coming back to United to help us, and would never have joined City, for example.
 

InfiniteBoredom

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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.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...eturns-Manchester-United-club-ambassador.html

As I said, unless his stint at Atletico brings a lot of success at the expense of Real Madrid, they wouldn’t give much of a hoot about it. It’s the Utd fanbase that he would have shafted twice by then and sever all bonds, although judging by the posts of some in his threads, they would find some excuses to forgive him rather quickly.
 

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Compelling argument and good post. I think there's something to the idea as I came across this video recently and noticed that if you pause at precisely at 00:13 you can almost see the moment where Ronaldo's self-awareness abandoned him completely. Since then it's all been downhill for old Ronald.

 

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Ronaldo was always a self centered narcissist, everything suggest so from his watery eyes when he came second to Kaka in the '07 Ballon d'or, to his playing style, the fact that at Madrid he walks back to the center circle when a team mate scores without joining the celebration but does that celebration were he tap his chest and point to the ground when he scores and expect the whole team to surround him, he has his name on his pants, showing off his body every single day he is almost never wearing a top on social media, remember when he scored the 4th in Madrid UCL final win (a penalty when the game was won already) and ran to the corner flag taking off his shirt and doing the suiii like he just scored the winner making sure his photo was going to be the image on every media front page.
The list is endless, he is an absolute wanker.
 

kouroux

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I don't think what we're seeing from Ronaldo is anything new. He's always had a career path that suited his personal needs more than anything else.
 

That'sHernandez

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It was obvious last season when he only put in team performances in the CL when it looked like we might get through. His workrate increased only when it looked like we had a chance to win games.
 

Mmm-Qatarian

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You don't think it was all somewhat ambiguous and open to debate what he stood for before this summer?

To many, he was coming back to United to help us, and would never have joined City, for example.
In my mind it hasn't been particularly ambiguous for a long time that as a professional Ronaldo stands for very little beyond the furtherance of his own legacy. There is little doubt in my mind that he only picked United over City because he believed that it'd do more for his brand. Hell, I don't even begrudge him that. (I profusely dislike him but it has nothing to do with his career choices)

As a child I used to be one of Ronaldo's idol-worshippers. It's probably not hyperbolic to say that he was the single biggest reason I got into football and United. With the passage of time, though, a lot of what I've seen about Ronaldo (e.g. the "slave" comments, the phone incident at Everton, and beyond everything the accusation of rape against him which I would consider credible) has led me to the conclusion that he's completely self-obsessed and most likely not a good person. None of this is to say that he has never done a good thing in his life but I agree with @phelans shorts that it has been patent for a while now that Ronaldo is entirely fueled by his ego and buys into the divine image of himself that his entourage and fanbase have cultivated over the years. It's a big part of why I wished at the time and still wish today that, when a move to City looked like it might materialize last summer, United had let it be.
 

UpWithRivers

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Ronaldo is just an example of a modern footballer. Priorities are them first and club second. Its just how it is. 99 percent of modern footballers would do exactly what Ronaldo is doing now. And loyalty goes both ways and the clubs will fk over the players if they get half a chance. Its just business.
 

Siorac

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You don't think it was all somewhat ambiguous and open to debate what he stood for before this summer?

To many, he was coming back to United to help us, and would never have joined City, for example.
I think those who thought he would never join City were either incredibly naive or just deliberately ignored all evidence of his personality.
 

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Ronnie was sold a dream when he returned to United, turns out it was all a crock of shite. Guy has 2 seasons left at a decent level. Guy wants to win things, United aren’t going to win anything next season. I can see why he wants out. Just be good to have some clarity on the way forward, as seems no one actually wants him apart from the Middle East.
For me if he buys out his contract goes back to Sporting, then all is good. Doubt it’s going to be all that simple though…
 

Skills

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You don't think it was all somewhat ambiguous and open to debate what he stood for before this summer?

To many, he was coming back to United to help us, and would never have joined City, for example.
He joined United because Ole & Sir Alex sold him the pipe dream that the team was ready to win now with the addition of the likes of Sancho and Varane. They convinced him, that if he joined a CL win was also on the cards because he'd take the team up a level.

Answer me this : if he rewinded to last summer, knowing the way this season had gone - would he still have chosen us over city?

What honestly pissed him off even more wad that Madrid went onto win the CL first without him, with his replacement scoring the winner.
 

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Ronaldo only came back to United because he felt well this side finished second added Varane and Sancho and now me to the mix we can win the league.
They'll build a statue in the center circle if we won the league with him leading the line, now it hasn't happen he wants out and fast.
 

KeanoMagicHat

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Ronaldo has always been like this, one of the most self-obsessed, precious personalities that sport has ever seen.

Being surprised at this is like Liverpool fans being surprised at Suarez being a prick to them in 2018.
 

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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.
 

Trex

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Ronaldo is just an example of a modern footballer. Priorities are them first and club second. Its just how it is. 99 percent of modern footballers would do exactly what Ronaldo is doing now. And loyalty goes both ways and the clubs will fk over the players if they get half a chance. Its just business.
Bruno just resigned at united, I bet he could be throwing tantrums and he'll have a lot of clubs interested in his services.
 

Dargonk

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Hardly even the worst we have had, considering Tevez. I think some people want to just ignore the truth when it comes to Ronaldo because of how good he was, but he has always only been out for himself.
 

Mmm-Qatarian

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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.
Everything I've read about Jordan suggests he's a complete arsehole and his fans excuse him treating other people like dirt as his "elite mentality". So yeah, sounds pretty similar to Ronaldo.
 

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I'm quite sure it has been entirely obvious to everyone outside the clubs he played for that Cristiano Ronaldo is a gargantuan twat. Some of it is his uncompromising drive to succeed which makes him so good, but it also makes him an egocentric, whingy cnut.
 

Ish

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Before this summer, I would have said there's smatterings of X, Y or Z. Petulance and an unrelenting, unashamed desire to be the best, but I wouldn't have expected him to discard the adulation of two fanbases like this - to me, that's where the mask has slipped and there isn't even a question of what he stands for, that being himself.

It's a crazy thing to do just short of retirement, don't you think?
Aye, I’m sure if he could, he’d switch his National country for this World Cup if it meant he’d have a greater chance of winning it
 

BeltUp

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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.
It's hard for me to say because I was just a kid watching in the 90s, but after watching The Last Dance, I kinda just thought he was an arsehole who was determined to win. Ronaldo comes across as somebody who wants to win for himself and nobody else.
 

KeanoMagicHat

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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.
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.
 

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It's the greatest feck you since Hit 'Em Up, isn't it?
First off feck the club and the badge you claim
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