Top of the game: At 32
The Real Makoya
March 10 2007 will go down as the day many of us mere mortals were introduced to a new god. A being capable of feats we didn’t realise were possible. A hero who would shake the foundations of what we considered world-class.
Two goals from Ruud van Nistlerooy and one from Sergio Ramos were not enough as a 19-year-old Lionel Messi had a response for each. The Argentinian’s first hat-trick for Barcelona in the 3-3 historic el Clasico was but whiff of what was to come. King Leo had arrived.
By contrast, Cristiano Ronaldo had a slower, but still steady, climb to the pinnacle. Undoubtedly talented from an early age, question marks over his discipline, attitude and showboating style meant there was less of a pre-ordained sense about his career.
And this is precisely what makes CR7’s coronation as the greatest footballer of his generation all the more impressive. Messi plays as if he was created for a solitary purpose, but the Real Madrid galactico has constantly reinvented himself, tirelessly adding new dimensions to his game.
Saturday’s Champions League win was the ultimate testimony to this.
At 32, Ronaldo wasn’t supposed to still be a world beater — he wouldn’t be able to beat defenders with his characteristic vigour as his pace naturally declined. They said his time at the biggest club in the world could even be coming to an end.
Clearly not one to follow the script, the Portuguese adapted to become even more potent in front of goal, dragging Los Blancos to a 12th European Cup. Following last year’s win, it’s the first time a team has defended the title in the Champions League era, a fact that will cement Ronaldo and manager Zinedine Zidane as club legends.
He collected 12 goals on the way to glory, enough to pip Messi to win the Golden Boot. His brace in the final took him to 105 goals in the Champions League, a figure unheard of before the battle of the two titans.
A fifth Ballon d’Or come January is almost guaranteed now, putting him on a par with the Argentinian maestro.
Having dragged Portugal to the Euros last year, last weekend’s thrashing of Juventus must surely crown Ronaldo as football’s supreme deity. It’s his showing up for the big games, his constant evolution as a footballer and unmatched leadership that mark Ronaldo as our Real Makoya this week.