Little boy conquers star’s heart
Selfie please: Ronaldo annoyed by streaker madness at European Championship match
22.06.2024, 21:45
Portugal puts a damper on the Turkish holidays in Dortmund: Cristiano Ronaldo’s team beat Turkey with a mercilessly confident performance. The superstar is in great demand among the scurrying fans. But his love is finite.
Cristiano Ronaldo was once the best footballer in the world. But he is no longer that. He has actually underlined this with his move to Saudi football nirvana on January 1, 2023. He is sweetening the last few meters of his incredible career with plenty of money and lots of love. In the desert state, he is the king that he is no longer in world football. Players like Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham have long since overtaken him. Jamal Musiala is probably on his way there too. Perhaps one day Arda Güler, Turkey’s super talent, will be too. At least in his home country, they firmly believe in it.
But that lies in an uncertain future. A future without Ronaldo. Although Ronaldo seems to prolong the present forever. He is taking part in the European Football Championship and is captain of his team. He is back in his team’s starting eleven and still has a charisma that takes over a whole, large stadium. In Dortmund, which has been a Turkish party hotspot since last Tuesday, his name is called 30 minutes before the game. The many whistles from the Turkish fans are mixed with loud applause. The global star is bigger than national football borders. The now 39-year-old does not have his best day at work in the second game of the group. A lot goes past him, he stumbles, takes the wrong turn, is ignored.
Ronaldo still had a heart for this boy.
(Photo: AP)
But after the break, the scenario changed. After 56 minutes, a ball finally landed exactly where the superstar had ordered it to go – into his path. Ronaldo skillfully took the ball, ran towards the Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, and at the right moment passed the ball to the left, where Bruno Fernandes had run along and easily scored to make it 3-0. That was also the final score and the last relevant moment in the game.
When the game is decided, it becomes exhausting
It is still a strenuous day at work for Ronaldo. Not because he has to walk long distances, but because many people suddenly travel long distances for him. One streaker after another runs onto the field and wants a selfie with the striker. These are unique opportunities, probably the last on the big stage. When a little boy, not even ten years old, storms onto the field and through the dense rows of stewards, Ronaldo takes his time.
He likes the boy’s love. He crouches down next to him and takes a photo, a really cute scene. When the stewards arrive, not quite sure what to do with him, the boy runs off. An impressive slalom run through the people in the yellow vests. Two stewards greet him on the sidelines, laughing. The Portuguese substitutes pat him on the shoulder. When he greets the crowd in front of the south stand, once again in Turkish hands, there is a huge cheer.
They let the boy have his big moment. The star, the stewards, the fans. But when a few minutes later the next visitor darts onto the pitch, the mood becomes more tense. Ronaldo has his photo taken again, but he is no longer happy. Three other men make it onto the field, wearing Turkish shirts. Love knows no boundaries. One of them hangs around the neck of the 39-year-old. He is really annoyed and waves him off. That’s enough. There are whistles in the stands. The stewards become more aggressive, six of them knock one man over. How can it be that five streakers break through? Good question, UEFA will surely have to make some adjustments.
“That’s the price of being so famous”
“It is a concern, today we were lucky that the fans had good intentions. This is a very critical moment,” said Portugal’s national coach Roberto Martinez, criticizing the scenes. “If the intentions are bad, the players are defenseless. It shouldn’t happen in a game. Maybe it will get worse in the future. It shouldn’t be the case that the players are so exposed to it.” Bruno Silva, who scored the first goal, is not “really worried, but it is annoying to always have to stop the game. That is the price you have to pay when you are so famous. But you are not worried on the pitch. I am not, anyway.”
Ronaldo is allowed to play until the end. He touches the ball 30 times. There should have been more, at least in his world. He keeps showing his teammates what they should have done differently. He keeps pointing to his feet after shifts or passes. That’s where the ball should have landed. In the end, the stadium is just at his feet. They sing his name and get louder as soon as the ball comes near him. Not just in the Portuguese block. A few Turkish fans have spare jerseys with them. When their team is significantly behind, they swap jerseys. He is no longer the best footballer in the world, but he remains the GOAT, the “Greatest of all time”, even as the fit football grandpa that he is now.