Cristiano Ronaldo was at the center of controversy this past weekend after he went forward with his plans to celebrate his birthday hours after his side was thrashed by Atletico in the Madrid Derby. The Portuguese star had just turned 30 years old a couple days before and was hoping to begin his birthday festivities on the back of a positive result against cross city rivals. Instead Cristiano and company were left exposed and humiliated in a dominating 4-0 performance by Atletico. Madridistas heavily condemned Ronaldo for not canceling his post match celebrations.
Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid's manager, doesn't see anything wrong with it. "The party is not an issue for me. I have never judged the private lives of players and I won't start now," said Ancelotti in a post game press conference.
"I have no doubts about the players' professionalism. The private life of each individual is up to them. I'd be getting into their private lives if I asked the players to apologize. I only judge their professional life, on the pitch.
Today, more than ever before in football, there is a blurred line between a player's personal and public life. Their every move is watched and consequently dissected by the public. Should Madrid and soccer fans have an opinion on whether or not Cristiano made the right decision? Yes. Should he have to succumb to public pressure and cancel celebrating his birthday? No.
It isn't a fluke that Cristiano Ronaldo has consistently been one of best players in the world and has smashed every record in front of him. This is due to his near legendary work ethic off the field. He is always the first person at training and last person to leave.
Jese Rodriguez, was promoted to Madrid's first team last season, had this to say about Ronaldo. "I remember the first time when I went to Real Madrid's training. I got there 2 hours earlier to impress my coach, but when I got there, I saw Cristiano was already there, training."
Last weekend's defeat was a big set back for Real Madrid. They are now only 1 point above arch rivals Barcelona in the La Liga standings with 15 games to go. With his birthday and backlash behind him, Cristiano Ronaldo ready to continue on in what has been another fantastic season.
I agree that Ronaldo should not have succumbed to public pressure and let that affect how he wanted to celebrate his own birthday, especially one that was planned ahead of time. I understand the fans' disappointment in such a crushing defeat, but sometimes we forget that our sports idols are people too. I am sure Ronaldo was disappointed in the result of the match, but that by no means indicates that he should punish himself further on his birthday. We need to realize that there is a line between work and private life, and really this is just his profession. Obviously, as a celebrity and widely publicized figure, his every move is being documented, especially with the increase of social media use. But, I think he did the right thing by putting that aside and celebrating his birthday as he wished, regardless of the days' loss.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I do not like Ronaldo, I think him having a birthday party is completely fine. Yes it was on the same day that he was beat by inner city rivals and yes some it led some other players to be in the same situation but it was his 30th birthday and this is a Milestone. I just do not see the harm in and think that the media and everyone else over reacted a little in terms of shaming him for this.
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