Observing the Cristiano Ronaldo Saga from a Barca Fan's Perspective
Xoel Cardenas@@XoelCardenas
Contributor IIISeptember 6, 2012
I know people are giving their two cents on this Cristiano Ronaldo “unhappy” situation. So here is my two cents.
By now, all of you know that Ronaldo said after Real Madrid’s 3-0 win against Granada this past week. Ronaldo got a brace in the game but did not celebrate the goals. After the game, Ronaldo stated that he was “sad” and that the team knows about the issue. He also stated that it was not about the fact that he was not selected as the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, which went to FC Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta.
And so, the drama began.
In Madrid, you’d thought it was a sign of the Apocalypse as the Madrid media were and are still going strong on the story.
Meanwhile in Barcelona, the media there at first poked fun at CR7, but are now not as loud and simply observing the situation, wondering what the real issue is.
Is Ronaldo made at his Real Madrid teammates? Is he mad at people in the club? Or is he going through personal issues?
Cristiano went to twitter to let people know about this issue:
That I am feeling sad and have expressed this sadness has created a huge stir. I am accused of wanting more money, but one day it will be shown that this is not the case. At this point, I just want to guarantee to the Real Madrid fans that my motivation, dedication, commitment and desire to win all competitions will not be affected. I have too much respect for myself and for Real Madrid to ever give less to the club than all I am capable of. Abrazos to all madridistas
Cristiano Ronaldo via his Facebook page, facebook.com/Cristiano
I really hope Ronaldo is being truthful when he said it’s not about one thing: money.
Ronaldo said it's not about money, but let's face facts, athletes have lied to the media before. I'm not saying Cristiano is lying, but I wouldn't be shocked if he was.
And it's OK. He or any other athlete is not obligated to tell the media the truth 100% of the time.
I have nothing against a man or woman asking for more money in their profession. We’ve seen athletes express their desire for a larger salary several ways. Some go to the media and use TV, radio, and Internet to tell their team via the media of their desire for a new contract. Some athletes go a quieter route and keep things behind closed doors.
The NFL is where we see players go public the most when it comes to salary issues. But holdouts and using the media as a pawn in negotiations is part of the business of the National Football League. It is the only sport where you can get away with that, just as long as there’s no pouting or “quitting” on a team. It’s business.
But some athletes make a big deal about their salary issue in a wrong manner.
Some people think this is what Ronaldo is doing.
Some fans and media members are saying that Ronaldo’s unhappiness with the team is because he wants a new contract, hence why he’s upset at the club and did not celebrate his brace against Granada along with saying what he said after the game.
Perhaps Cristiano feels like he’s not getting paid the amount he feels he should be getting paid. I understand that Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Samuel Eto’o, a few other superstars are make more money than CR7. It’s OK if he feels like he is worth more, because quite frankly, he is worth more than those players. It’s only Lionel Messi who is, in my opinion, worth the most.
To come out and get Madrid fans all worried and to get the media talking about a “mystery” issue doesn’t accomplish anything except get negative attention. I know I shouldn’t expect class coming from a man who in the past has had his issues on how to be professional, but no one wants to hear a rich grown man throw a fit like a little kid.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a soccer superstar or a cigarette tester, the best way of handling contract/pay issues is to handle it behind closed doors, face-to-face with the person/people that have a say in this issue with you. The only exception to this is arguably the NFL.
If Cristiano said what he said because he’s not getting paid enough, that’s a new low for Ronaldo and he’s officially the biggest crybaby in football. Many fans already think he is.
I hope it's not about money and I don't think it's about money. I think it's about the club and some of the people within Real Madrid.
I think it's about two things: he doesn't feel loved by all at Real Madrid and he doesn't feel people within the club are as supportive of him as they are to other Real Madrid players like Iker Casillas.
I understand for many Madrid club officials/members that Saint Iker is higher in the Madrid totem pole. Iker obviously has a career-long history with Real Madrid. But this is Ronaldo we’re talking about. He deserves to be praised by all club officials/members for everything CR7 has done since his arrival to the Santiago Bernabeu.
It wouldn't be the first time we've seen rifts within Real Madrid. Remember the Jose Mourinho vs. Jorge Valdano situation in the 2010-11 season which saw Valdano lose his job.
Perhaps Ronaldo is not happy with the way the club is promoting him or lack thereof. Maybe Ronaldo just isn’t happy with some of the club officials at Real Madrid. If this is the case, Florentino Perez and the rest of the club officials need to get a move on making Cristiano feel loved.
He does and has done so much for Real Madrid at his time there and it’s ridiculous to think there may be some people inside the club that do not like Ronaldo or don’t praise him as much as Iker Casillas or Sergio Ramos.You can make the case that Cristiano was the main reason Real won La Liga last season.
So people may say "What does it matter if you, an athlete, wants to be loved?" It does matter. Who doesn't want to be praised, appreciated, and loved by their peers? It's a natural human desire. If Ronaldo feels like he's not as appreciated as other Madrid players, it's OK for him to feel that way, but he shouldn't have gone out to the media and expressed it, causing the drama we see now.
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most sensitive athletes in world football. He gets easily frustrated both off and on the pitch and he needs to hear praise more often than other stars need. It's part sensitivity and part ego. That's just how he is. He can't help it.
Even though I’m a Barcelona fan, I don’t desire sadness for Ronaldo nor do I want to see him leave Real Madrid. He makes the rivalry that much more fun. Some Culés may not feel the way I do, but that’s just my opinion.
I hope his unhappiness is not a personal issue like depression or anything in his personal life. But Ronaldo did say it was a professional issue, so I’ll take his word for it and say it’s not a family/personal issue.
If Cristiano is unhappy due to another issue, that’s too bad and I hope he can settle his issue with his teammates, club management, or with whomever or whatever it is.
You need to take care of your superstar, Real Madrid. Perhaps Ronaldo is too sensitive, but that's not the important thing. The important thing for you, Real, is that you keep your superstar happy.
And happy by any means necessary.
Fortunately for us FC Barcelona fans, we've never have had to worry about whether or not our superstar in Leo Messi is unhappy with the club. And I doubt we ever will.
Animo Ronaldo.
Xoel, The Voice of FC Barcelona on Bleacher Report.
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