Cristiano Ronaldo’s Ego Wahala: Why E Dey Sad Despite Hin Achievements 🌟
⬇️ Pidgin ⬇️ ⬇️ Black American Slang ⬇️ English
A video scatter for social media after di Carabao Cup final last weekend. We no go share am here because di jingoistic people wey do am no need more attention than dem get already, but e essentially involve some supposed Liverpool fans near di steps up to di Wembley Royal Box wey dey film di Chelsea players wey loss as dem dey waka go collect dia runners-up medals and dey insult dem with empty words.
Dem hiss for ‘the snake’ Raheem Sterling, wey leave their club almost ten years ago. Dem also politely ask after Moises Caicedo mama, wey be like say she influence hin decision to move go Stamford Bridge instead of Anfield for di summer: absolutely normal behavior from adults wey don mature. None of di players wey dey involved even look the side, wey bin pretty amazing when under di circumstances and with family members wey dey involved for di matter, you go understand if dem go full Cantona. Actually, maybe e no too amazing: as a baller you must sabi develop some kain deflector shield, a kind impenetrable bubble around your head so you go literally no hear stuff like dat, or if you hear am, e go just drop into some dead space for your brain, e never register with your consciousness. There’s no upside to react: you go look small-minded and in the finest tradition of a parent wey dey tell dia pikin make e no go dey follow bullies argue, you give dem more satisfaction than dem deserve.
Which na by way of getting to Cristiano Ronaldo, wey react to taunts from di crowd and don already collect punishment for am. Ronaldo don get one-game ban by di Saudi Pro League and don pay 30,000 Saudi riyals (£6,332; $8,000) for fines and fees for making wetin dem describe as an ‘obscene gesture’ to fans during im Al Nassr side recent 3-2 win over Al Shabab. This one be like response to something that he has been subject to for much of his career: chants of ‘Messi, Messi’ from the stands. Ronaldo cup e ears then half squat and make odd hand gesture near im crotch: if you dey innocent, e fit look like say e dey polish tabletop, but if you no be, e fit look like… well, you get di idea.
A few things come to mind after this. One na say, in opposition to Sterling and Caicedo, e clear say e no dey take much to ginger reaction from Ronaldo, one of di most famous men for di planet wey suppose don dey used to people wey dey shout for am from faceless crowd. E and Messi don dey involved for this kind of terminal tedious death grapple for like 15 years now, di pair dey constantly pit against and compare to each other. You fit see why e go don become incredibly tiresome, to say di least, particularly given say dem never play for di same league since 2018 and dem never dey on di same pitch for competitive game together since 2020. Dem no dey play for Europe again and dia most significant achievements don finish. Di Messi-Ronaldo rivalry no really dey happen again, at least no be for di rest of di world.
But clearly, e still dey happen for Ronaldo, a small insecurity worm wey don enter im soul and dey there. Why else e go bother to respond at di mere mention of Messi’s name? Di two situations no perfect comparison and na partly dem even come together here because dem happen for di past week or so, but e remarkable how Sterling and Caicedo fit ignore much more personal abuse from closer proximity, while all e take na mention of another man’s name to provoke reaction from Ronaldo.
It’s very far from the first time, too. Just last November, Ronaldo shush crowd during Al Nassr’s game against Al Ettifaq when di ‘Messi, Messi’ chant start by another unimaginative bunch. For di wider scheme of things, all dis na very minor stuff, but you dey wonder about di fragility of a man’s ego say di mere mention of a rival player’s name even register, let alone inspire response of any kind, let alone one wey go make you suspended.
The whole thing probably no too good for di Saudi Pro League project, too. Ronaldo na dia marquee signing and e don dey successful as e don score plenty goals and attract plenty interest, but e no be part of di plan say dia key player, one of di main legitimising factors for di league, go dey suspend like dis. Throw Jordan Henderson wey leave after six months inside and di continued soap opera around Karim Benzema and e don dey mixed since dem start to dey throw money around di place.
For Ronaldo, e hard to put your finger on wetin be di bleak thing for all dis, but e fit be because e all dey so undignified for everybody wey dey involved. Despite being a quasi-super-human and an absolute freak of an athlete, e get limited time wey e go remain for im career, so e just dey feel slightly sad say dis na how e dey spend im last days as a footballer.
Playing for substandard league — wey no be di plan, no matter how hard e dey insist otherwise — still dey haunted by di ghost of di man wey e don compare to for hin whole career, but wey no really relevant to am for close to half a decade. E for don be very different.
Perhaps dis na di internal hell of di hyper-driven mentality of somebody like Ronaldo. Nothing but being considered di best dey good enough, so even di mention of di one guy wey fit deny am that title, in im generation at least, dey enough to ginger am.
E go dry im eyes on im incredible wealth and an extraordinary list of achievements, but you dey left with sense say e never go really satisfied when time reach to look back on im career.
For somebody wey don achieve as much as he don achieve, e all dey feel quite bleak.
NOW IN BLACK AMERICAN SLANG
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Fragile Ego: A Sad Reality Despite His Achievements 🌟
A video went viral on social media after the Carabao Cup final last weekend. We won’t share it here ’cause those clowns don’t need any more attention than they’ve already got. It basically showed supposed Liverpool fans near the steps to the Wembley Royal Box filming the defeated Chelsea players as they walked to collect their runners-up medals and throwing weak taunts at them.
They hissed at ‘the snake’ Raheem Sterling, who bounced from their club almost a decade ago. They also politely asked about Moises Caicedo’s mama, who apparently influenced his decision to move to Stamford Bridge instead of Anfield this summer. Normal behavior from grown folks, right? None of the players even seemed to react, which was pretty impressive considering the situation and family members getting dragged into it. You’d understand if they went full Cantona.
Actually, maybe it’s not that impressive. As a footballer, you gotta develop some kind of shield, an impenetrable bubble around your head so you don’t even hear stuff like that. Or if you do, it just bounces off and never really registers in your mind. There’s no point in reacting: you just look petty. In the same way parents tell their kids not to give bullies the satisfaction, reacting just gives them what they want.
Which brings us to Cristiano Ronaldo, who did react to taunts from the crowd and got punished for it. Ronaldo got slapped with a one-game ban by the Saudi Pro League and hit with a fine of 30,000 Saudi riyals (£6,332; $8,000) for making what’s being called an ‘obscene gesture’ at fans during his Al Nassr side’s recent 3-2 win over Al Shabab. This was apparently in response to something he’s been dealing with for most of his career: chants of ‘Messi, Messi’ from the stands. Ronaldo cupped his ears, then half squatted and made an odd hand gesture near his crotch. If you were being innocent, it might look like he was wiping a table, but if you weren’t, well, you get the idea.
A few things came to mind after this. One is that, unlike Sterling and Caicedo, it doesn’t take much to get a reaction out of Ronaldo. One of the most famous dudes on the planet who’s probably used to being yelled at by faceless crowds. He and Messi have been in this boring rivalry for about 15 years now, constantly compared to each other. You can see why it would be tiresome, especially since they haven’t actually played in the same league since 2018 and haven’t been on the same pitch together since 2020. Neither plays in Europe anymore and their biggest achievements are likely behind them. The Messi-Ronaldo rivalry ain’t really a thing anymore, at least not to the rest of the world.
But clearly, it still is to Ronaldo, like a little insecurity worm that’s burrowed deep. Why else would he bother to respond at just the mention of Messi’s name? The two situations aren’t perfect comparisons and are only brought together here because they both happened recently. But it’s remarkable how Sterling and Caicedo could ignore much more personal abuse from closer proximity, while all it took was mention of another man’s name to provoke a reaction from Ronaldo.
It’s far from the first time, too. Just last November, Ronaldo shushed a crowd during Al Nassr’s game against Al Ettifaq when the ‘Messi, Messi’ chant was rolled out by another unimaginative bunch. In the grand scheme of things, this is all minor stuff. But you gotta wonder about the fragility of a man’s ego that just the mention of a rival player’s name gets a response, let alone one that gets you suspended.
The whole thing probably isn’t good for the Saudi Pro League either. Ronaldo was their big signing and he’s been successful in scoring goals and attracting interest. But it wasn’t part of the plan for their star player, one of the main legitimizing factors for the league, to be suspended like this. Add in Jordan Henderson leaving after six months and the continued drama around Karim Benzema, and it’s been a mixed bag since they started splashing cash around.
For Ronaldo, it’s hard to pinpoint what’s so bleak about all this. But it could be because it’s all so undignified for everyone involved. Despite being a quasi-super-human and an absolute athletic freak, he has limited time left in his career, so it feels kinda sad that this is how he’s spending his last days as a footballer.
Playing in a substandard league — which wasn’t the plan, no matter how hard he insists — still haunted by the ghost of the man he’s been compared to his whole career, but who hasn’t really been relevant to him in almost half a decade. It could have been different.
Perhaps this is the internal hell of the hyper-driven mentality of someone like Ronaldo. Nothing but being considered the best is good enough, so even the mention of the one guy who could deny him that title, in his generation at least, is enough to set him off.
He’ll wipe his tears with his incredible wealth and an extraordinary list of achievements. But there’s a feeling that he’ll never really be satisfied when he looks back on his career.
For someone who’s achieved as much as he has, it all feels kinda bleak.
NOW IN ENGLISH
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Fragile Ego: A Sad Reality Despite His Achievements 🌟
A video circulated on social media after the Carabao Cup final last weekend. We won’t share it here because the individuals responsible don’t need any more attention than they’ve already received. It essentially involved supposed Liverpool fans near the steps leading to the Wembley Royal Box filming the defeated Chelsea players as they trudged to collect their runners-up medals and directing a series of witless taunts at them.
They hissed at ‘the snake’ Raheem Sterling, who left their club almost a decade ago. They also politely inquired after Moises Caicedo’s mother, who seemingly influenced his decision to move to Stamford Bridge rather than Anfield in the summer. Absolutely normal behavior from grown adults. None of the players involved even seemed to raise an eyebrow in response, which was pretty amazing considering the circumstances and the involvement of family members. You would understand if they went full Cantona.
Actually, maybe it isn’t that amazing. As a footballer, you must develop some sort of deflector shield, an impenetrable bubble around your head so you literally don’t hear stuff like that. Or if you do, it just drops into some dead space in your brain, never actually registering with your consciousness. There’s no upside to reacting: you appear petty. In the finest tradition of a parent telling their child not to rise to the bullies, you give them more satisfaction than they deserve.
Which brings us to Cristiano Ronaldo, who did react to taunts from the crowd and has been duly punished for it. Ronaldo has been given a one-game ban by the Saudi Pro League and fined to the tune of 30,000 Saudi riyals (£6,332; $8,000) for making what has been described as an ‘obscene gesture’ at fans during his Al Nassr side’s recent 3-2 win over Al Shabab. This was seemingly in response to something he has been subject to for much of his career: chants of ‘Messi, Messi’ from the stands. Ronaldo cupped his ears, then half squatted and made an odd hand gesture near his crotch. If you were being completely innocent, it might look like he was polishing a tabletop. But if you weren’t, well, you get the idea.
A few things sprang to mind after this. One is that, unlike Sterling and Caicedo, it’s clear that it doesn’t take much to get a reaction out of Ronaldo. One of the most famous men on the planet who is presumably very used to being shouted at by a faceless crowd. He and Messi have been involved in this sort of terminally tedious death grapple for about 15 years now, constantly pitted against and compared to each other. You can thus see why it will have become incredibly tiresome, to say the least, particularly given they haven’t actually played in the same league as each other since 2018 and haven’t been on the same pitch in a competitive game together since 2020. Neither now plays in Europe and both their most significant achievements are now almost certainly in the past. The Messi-Ronaldo rivalry isn’t really a thing anymore, at least not to the rest of the world.
But clearly, it still is to Ronaldo, a little insecurity worm that has burrowed into his soul and is lodged there. Why else would he bother to respond at the mere mention of Messi’s name? The two situations aren’t perfect comparisons and are partly only brought together here because they both happened in the past week or so. But it is remarkable how Sterling and Caicedo could ignore much more personal abuse from closer proximity, while all it took was mention of another man’s name to provoke a reaction from Ronaldo.
It’s very far from the first time, too. Just last November, Ronaldo shushed a crowd during Al Nassr’s game against Al Ettifaq when the ‘Messi, Messi’ chant was rolled out by another unimaginative bunch. In the wider scheme of things, this is all very minor stuff. But you do wonder about the fragility of a man’s ego that the mere mention of a rival player’s name even registers, let alone inspires a response of any kind, let alone one that gets you suspended.
The whole thing probably isn’t ideal for the Saudi Pro League project, either. Ronaldo was their marquee signing and he has been a success in that he has scored buckets of goals and attracted plenty of interest. But it wasn’t in the plan for their key player, one of the main legitimizing factors for the league, to be suspended like this. Throw in Jordan Henderson leaving after six months and the continued soap opera around Karim Benzema, and it’s been a mixed bag since they started throwing money around the place.
For Ronaldo, it’s difficult to put your finger on what it is about all this that is so bleak. But it could be because it’s all so undignified for everyone involved. Despite being a quasi-super-human and an absolute freak of an athlete, he has limited time left in his career, so it just feels slightly sad that this is how he is spending his last days as a footballer.
Playing in a substandard league — which was not the plan, no matter how hard he insists otherwise — still haunted by the ghost of the man he has been compared to for his whole career, but who hasn’t really been relevant to him for close to half a decade. It could all have been very different.
Perhaps this is the internal hell of the hyper-driven mentality of someone like Ronaldo. Nothing but being considered the best is good enough, so even the mention of the one guy who could deny him that title, in his generation at least, is enough to set him off.
He will dry his eyes on his incredible wealth and an extraordinary list of achievements. But you’re left with a sense that he will never really be satisfied when the time comes to look back on his career.
For someone who has achieved as much as he has, it all feels quite bleak.
