LONDON: There is something about Cristiano Ronaldo that means there is rarely any nuance in the response he elicits — people either love him or hate him.
For some, the ultimate Marmite footballer stands for everything that has turned them off modern-day football. The perma-tan, huge wage, and perceived ever-present narcissism just three things that people associate with the Portuguese preener. Add in his frequent on-field strops and it is not hard to see why the Real Madrid man might be seen as unappealing.
Lionel Messi, by comparison, does not suffer from such PR problems. On the whole the Argentine ace is viewed with nothing but adoration. His dodgy tax affairs swept under the carpet all that is uttered about him is about his supreme talent and supposed wholesome character.
As with much of life the above perceptions of both players are rather simplistic, and while Ronaldo definitely suffers from the notion that he is an arrogant egotist, there can be no doubting his ability with the ball at feet.
Put simply, Ronaldo is the best footballing athlete there has ever been. There is a tale of him training while on holiday in Dubai several years ago. He was on the treadmill at full pace running up a noticeable incline. Once he stopped all the trainers at the hotel gym (proper gym monkeys) stood and applauded in awe of what they had just witnessed. For all the showboating and images of fast cars and cash, people rarely see the effort he puts in behind the scenes.
And while Real have won three Champions League titles in the past four years down to having the best all-round team, there can be little doubt that Ronaldo was the driving force and the ultimate reason behind the success. Last season the 32-year-old scored 10 times from the quarterfinals of the competition as Real won a first La Liga and European Cup double in 59 years.
He will never get the love that Messi is showered with and, perhaps unfairly, will never be seen as being as good as his Barcelona rival. But at least with his four Ballon d’Ors and two Best FIFA Men’s Player titles Ronaldo can at least be content that when it comes to discussing the greatest players of all time, he will always, rightly, be part of the discussion, Marmite or not.