Some say Cristiano Ronaldo is passionate on the pitch. Others, however, see that passion as petulance and call him a “crybaby.” Such was the case in the early 1990s when Ronaldo played as a youth for CF Andorinha in Madeira, the island off the coast of Portugal where he was born.
“Crybaby, yes,” former Andorinha teammate Ricardo Santos told Reuters this week about the Real Madrid star’s old nickname. “Because Ronaldo already loved to win like he loves today and when he lost and when other kids didn’t pass the ball to him he used to cry.”
Ronaldo, 32, doesn’t often shed tears anymore, but he remains known for his inability to mask his emotions both on and off the field.
Last summer after Iceland shocked Portugal at the European Championship by drawing, 1-1, in a group-round game, Ronaldo ripped the Nordic team for its celebration afterward.
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“I thought they’d won the Euros the way they celebrated at the end,” Ronaldo said (via the BBC). “… shows a small mentality and they are not going to do anything in the competition.” (Except Iceland went on to upset England to earn a spot in the semifinals, but anyway …)
The comments resulted in a predictable amount of backlash for the former Manchester United man, including some harsh words from a member of Iceland’s team.
“[Ronaldo is] a fantastic footballer, but he’s not a gracious human being,” midfielder Kari Arnanson told AFP.
Ronaldo made headlines again during the Euros when he responded to a reporter’s softball question about match preparation by throwing the reporter’s microphone into a lake.
Then, of course, there was the time when Ronaldo appeared to get angry at his teammate during a La Liga game after the teammate decided to score himself rather than pass the ball to Ronaldo.
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The flip side to this abundance of emotion, however, is that Ronaldo clearly cares about his life’s work, and this passion has paid off for the star, who’s been named world player of the year four times. His most recent player of the year win came in January following a season that saw him lead Portugal’s national team to it first-ever high-profile international championship win at the Euros. (Despite drawing with Iceland, the team advanced to the knockout rounds where they eventually beat France in the final.)
The star appeared to teeter on tears during a post-match interview after Portugal won, 1-0, last summer, but kept the waterworks at bay.
“I never win something for Portugal national team, but I win tonight,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “I’m so happy. It’s a moment that I cannot describe because I feel so happy.”
If his words didn’t convince you, perhaps his actions did: Ronaldo did not throw the reporter’s microphone into a lake.
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