Cristiano Ronaldo - Much Ado About Al Nassr

Not football nations? I think the middle east is mad about football..just doesn't have the leagues like Europe
As long as the follower is not a fake account, football nation or not is irrelevant. I don't even know what football nation stands for anyway. Is US a football nation? All I know the pay rate for view in youtube in US is higher than other countries.
 
The number of followers is everything for marketing and popularity.

That's only partly true, engagement and where the engagement is coming from also matters. With your metrics, Virat Kohli is more popular worldwide than Neymar, Mbappe or Lebron because he has more followers, which is wrong as his fanbase is mostly based in India, a single nation. Pretty sure, if instagram was allowed in China, we'd have multiple Chinese famous people listed in the top 10-20 in terms of follower count.

Ronaldo is not even the most popular player for United fans let alone the world. His reputation/legacy is at an all-time low. No way, he's the most popular player in Europe, South/North America. Pretty sure he has a much much stronger fan base in the Middle East, Pakistan, India etc. unlike others such as Messi. That's very easy to identify seeing interactions on instagram, twitter etc.

For ex., it's well known that Ronaldo has a huge fanbase in Muslim nations even before his move to Middle East as for some reason he's perceived as a supporter for Palestine cause. I personally know people who think Ronaldo's downfall is an outcome of his pro-Palestine stance (the funny thing is he doesn't even have any stance on this issue and has taken part in many ads for Israeli companies which is totally fine).

www.reuters.com/fact-check/altered-miscaptioned-images-cristiano-ronaldo-pro-palestinian-video-2023-11-08/
www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/sport/1672085057-ronaldo-paid-the-price-for-his-support-for-the-palestinians-according-to-erdogan
 
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Instagram is not about football. It only shows that Ronaldo and Messi are now global superstars, like Michael Jordan was. You did not need to watch basketball to know who Michael Jordan is. The difference today is that Instagram also pays these people directly (A LOT!).

Top ten most popular Instagram acounts. It is interesting that the top spots are Ronaldo and Messi, two footballers, and not some musician.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-followed_Instagram_accounts

 
That's only partly true, engagement and where the engagement is coming from also matters. With your metrics, Virat Kohli is more popular worldwide than Neymar, Mbappe or Lebron because he has more followers, which is wrong as his fanbase is mostly based in India, a single nation. Pretty sure, if instagram was allowed in China, we'd have multiple Chinese famous people listed in the top 10-20 in terms of follower count.

Ronaldo is not even the most popular player for United fans let alone the world. His reputation/legacy is at an all-time low. No way, he's the most popular player in Europe, South/North America. Pretty sure he has a much much stronger fan base in the Middle East, Pakistan, India etc. unlike others such as Messi. That's very easy to identify seeing interactions on instagram, twitter etc.

For ex., it's well known that Ronaldo has a huge fanbase in Muslim nations even before his move to Middle East as for some reason he's perceived as a supporter for Palestine cause. I personally know people who think Ronaldo's downfall is an outcome of his pro-Palestine stance (the funny thing is he doesn't even have any stance on this issue and has taken part in many ads for Israeli companies which is totally fine).

www.reuters.com/fact-check/altered-miscaptioned-images-cristiano-ronaldo-pro-palestinian-video-2023-11-08/
www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/sport/1672085057-ronaldo-paid-the-price-for-his-support-for-the-palestinians-according-to-erdogan

What lead these people you know to believe this?
Also which downfall?
 
What lead these people you know to believe this?

They have probably been fed misinformation in online channels, and just accept is as truth. Below are some examples of it. The issue is when you tell them these are fake stuff, they question your integrity, they truly think Ronaldo's God's gift to humanity :lol:

False info:
Cristiano Ronaldo's hotel on the outskirts of Marrakech acts as a refuge after Morocco earthquake
www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/world-news/2023/09/09/64fc8e87ca4741a4148b45a0.html

Fact Check:
Ronaldo’s hotel has not become a shelter for Morocco quake victims
https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/...ome-shelter-morocco-quake-victims-2023-09-15/

CLAIM: Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo donated 1.5 million euros to Palestinians for iftar, the meal eaten each night to break fast during Ramadan.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Ronaldo did not donate money for that cause despite posts that circulated widely on social media over the weekend.

https://apnews.com/article/5223040944

Ronaldo's Golden Boot donation to Palestine a false alarm
https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/ronaldos-golden-rumour-unlikely-to-be-true

Cristiano Ronaldo donated nearly $8 million for Nepal earthquake relief.
Update: Save the Children reported that they it received no such donation, although it did thank Ronaldo for bringing attention to the cause.

www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/05/12/cristiano-ronaldo-donated-nearly-8-million-for-nepal-earthquake-relief/

On June 15, the state-run Iranian news channel IRIB broadcast a report alleging footballer Cristiano Ronaldo's support for Palestine and "hatred" towards Israel. It turned out to be a compilation of at least seven false claims. We debunk some of the most outrageous ones in this edition of Truth or Fake.
www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/truth-or-fake/20220624-iranian-state-media-broadcasts-report-on-cristiano-ronaldo-s-support-for-palestine

There are many fake info posts on him on social media like below post with 30k likes.

Cristiano Ronaldo has donated 1.5 Million for Iftar Meals in Palestine.
He's not a Muslim but he cares for humanity. How can someone hate him

www.twitter.com/Cool_Ustaz/status/1128295568101584896

Also which downfall?

His problems with Ten Hag & departure from United in disgrace, rejections in Europe, ending up at the Saudi League, getting benched in the WC, regular delusional statements, no Ballon D'or, Golden Shoe after Real. In many Ronaldo fans' eyes, his downfall is a part of a big conspiracy against him.
 
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They have probably been fed misinformation in online channels, and just accept is as truth. Below are some examples of it. The issue is when you tell them these are fake stuff, they question your integrity, they truly think Ronaldo's God's gift to humanity :lol:

False info:
Cristiano Ronaldo's hotel on the outskirts of Marrakech acts as a refuge after Morocco earthquake
www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/world-news/2023/09/09/64fc8e87ca4741a4148b45a0.html

Fact Check:
Ronaldo’s hotel has not become a shelter for Morocco quake victims
https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/...ome-shelter-morocco-quake-victims-2023-09-15/

CLAIM: Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo donated 1.5 million euros to Palestinians for iftar, the meal eaten each night to break fast during Ramadan.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Ronaldo did not donate money for that cause despite posts that circulated widely on social media over the weekend.

https://apnews.com/article/5223040944

Ronaldo's Golden Boot donation to Palestine a false alarm
https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/ronaldos-golden-rumour-unlikely-to-be-true

Cristiano Ronaldo donated nearly $8 million for Nepal earthquake relief.
Update: Save the Children reported that they it received no such donation, although it did thank Ronaldo for bringing attention to the cause.

www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/05/12/cristiano-ronaldo-donated-nearly-8-million-for-nepal-earthquake-relief/

On June 15, the state-run Iranian news channel IRIB broadcast a report alleging footballer Cristiano Ronaldo's support for Palestine and "hatred" towards Israel. It turned out to be a compilation of at least seven false claims. We debunk some of the most outrageous ones in this edition of Truth or Fake.
www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/truth-or-fake/20220624-iranian-state-media-broadcasts-report-on-cristiano-ronaldo-s-support-for-palestine

There are many fake info posts on him on social media like below post with 30k likes.

Cristiano Ronaldo has donated 1.5 Million for Iftar Meals in Palestine.
He's not a Muslim but he cares for humanity. How can someone hate him

www.twitter.com/Cool_Ustaz/status/1128295568101584896



His problems with Ten Hag & departure from United in disgrace, rejections in Europe, ending up at the Saudi League, getting benched in the WC, regular delusional statements, no Ballon D'or, Golden Shoe after Real. In many Ronaldo fans' eyes, his downfall is a part of a big conspiracy against him.
Most of his highly devoted supporters on twitter hail from Pakistan precisely because of this misinformation.
 
They have probably been fed misinformation in online channels, and just accept is as truth. Below are some examples of it. The issue is when you tell them these are fake stuff, they question your integrity, they truly think Ronaldo's God's gift to humanity :lol:

False info:
Cristiano Ronaldo's hotel on the outskirts of Marrakech acts as a refuge after Morocco earthquake
www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/world-news/2023/09/09/64fc8e87ca4741a4148b45a0.html

Fact Check:
Ronaldo’s hotel has not become a shelter for Morocco quake victims
https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/...ome-shelter-morocco-quake-victims-2023-09-15/

CLAIM: Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo donated 1.5 million euros to Palestinians for iftar, the meal eaten each night to break fast during Ramadan.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Ronaldo did not donate money for that cause despite posts that circulated widely on social media over the weekend.

https://apnews.com/article/5223040944

Ronaldo's Golden Boot donation to Palestine a false alarm
https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/ronaldos-golden-rumour-unlikely-to-be-true

Cristiano Ronaldo donated nearly $8 million for Nepal earthquake relief.
Update: Save the Children reported that they it received no such donation, although it did thank Ronaldo for bringing attention to the cause.

www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/05/12/cristiano-ronaldo-donated-nearly-8-million-for-nepal-earthquake-relief/

On June 15, the state-run Iranian news channel IRIB broadcast a report alleging footballer Cristiano Ronaldo's support for Palestine and "hatred" towards Israel. It turned out to be a compilation of at least seven false claims. We debunk some of the most outrageous ones in this edition of Truth or Fake.
www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/truth-or-fake/20220624-iranian-state-media-broadcasts-report-on-cristiano-ronaldo-s-support-for-palestine

There are many fake info posts on him on social media like below post with 30k likes.

Cristiano Ronaldo has donated 1.5 Million for Iftar Meals in Palestine.
He's not a Muslim but he cares for humanity. How can someone hate him

Madness. Ronaldo's fans are something else.


His problems with Ten Hag & departure from United in disgrace, rejections in Europe, ending up at the Saudi League, getting benched in the WC, regular delusional statements, no Ballon D'or, Golden Shoe after Real. In many Ronaldo fans' eyes, his downfall is a part of a big conspiracy against him.

Most of these events do not show a downfall, they are just the consequences of a great player getting older. His immature behavior is what caused his downfall.

To be fair to these conspiracy theorists, supporting Palestine/criticizing Israël is never going to do a public figure any good, and if they believe all these fake news, I can see how they came to this conclusion.
 
Lovely technique on his first today! The kind of goal I hadn't seen him score yet, with his back to the goal, volleyed.

He also just put it on a silver platter with a backheel to a teammate to score, which then said teammate proceeded do the hardest thing - hit the keeper on his head, and not the goal :lol::lol:

As for the discussion above my post, I love Ronaldo as much as anyone might, and I gotta tell ya, the conspiracy theory fans annoy the heck out of me. Pure nonsense. I also think really loving a player doesn't mean you have to worship him. I hate worshippers.
 
In the six years we had him, you just saw his game grow all the time, and he was a fantastic player. Now you see the complete player. His decision-making, his maturity, his experience, plus all the great skills he has got, they all make him the complete player.
 
In the six years we had him, you just saw his game grow all the time, and he was a fantastic player. Now you see the complete player. His decision-making, his maturity, his experience, plus all the great skills he has got, they all make him the complete player.

On top of that the older he gets he scores more than Haaland jr who was created from Haaland's seniors seed which cements him even more as an Man Utd legend.
 
Chiellini on Ronaldo:

"I was impressed by his personality in difficult moments. In his first year, he wanted to shake the world and show that he was stronger than the whole of Real Madrid", he began by saying, extending his praise for CR7: "I appreciated him. He's a player like a multinational, but he integrated well into the group. He's not like the others, he can't be asked to have a snack in the city center, but he never failed when necessary, like when there were team dinners. He is respectful, almost obsessive in taking care of his body and preparing it. He wants to score goals and win. It was an honor to be his captain at Juventus and live every day with a champion like him."

Chiellini also stated that he has no doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo would lead the team to win the Champions League in his debut year with Vecchia Signora (who ended up being eliminated in the quarter-finals) if the squad had not been plagued by several injuries. . "We were unlucky with injuries and lost against Ajax. If we had reached the final, he would have led us to victory", he stressed."


I always felt these two got along pretty well and always had a tremendous amount of respect for each other, even before they played together.

... And I always feel inclined to not agree when a player or coach says "If we had won this game, we would've gone on to win X trophy later, or this player would've done XYZ", as I don't like reducing football to such simple equations, but it seems like Ronaldo's aura of blind confidence always passed on to other players at Juve and Madrid (Bonnuci, Kroos kinda said the same too, i.e.)
 
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Chiellini also stated that he has no doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo would lead the team to win the Champions League in his debut year with Vecchia Signora (who ended up being eliminated in the quarter-finals) if the squad had not been plagued by several injuries. . "We were unlucky with injuries and lost against Ajax. If we had reached the final, he would have led us to victory", he stressed."

Woulda coulda shoulda. That same team got knocked out early by Lyon and Porto in following years. Would have done nothing.
 
Looking for the easy tap in I see. Furious that his teammate scored the said tap in instead.

Ronaldo learnt early in his career that the pointless tricks and flicks that were just that and besides many a times they did not come off or werent effective (unlike the tricks done by Ronaldinho or Neymar). In addition, he also learnt that goals bring glory and hype so he played to score goals; he played for and was obsessed with his stats. He succeeded in a stacked team at Real Madrid.
 
Chiellini on Ronaldo:

"I was impressed by his personality in difficult moments. In his first year, he wanted to shake the world and show that he was stronger than the whole of Real Madrid", he began by saying, extending his praise for CR7: "I appreciated him. He's a player like a multinational, but he integrated well into the group. He's not like the others, he can't be asked to have a snack in the city center, but he never failed when necessary, like when there were team dinners. He is respectful, almost obsessive in taking care of his body and preparing it. He wants to score goals and win. It was an honor to be his captain at Juventus and live every day with a champion like him."

Chiellini also stated that he has no doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo would lead the team to win the Champions League in his debut year with Vecchia Signora (who ended up being eliminated in the quarter-finals) if the squad had not been plagued by several injuries. . "We were unlucky with injuries and lost against Ajax. If we had reached the final, he would have led us to victory", he stressed."


I always felt these two got along pretty well and always had a tremendous amount of respect for each other, even before they played together.

... And I always feel inclined to not agree when a player or coach says "If we had won this game, we would've gone on to win X trophy later, or this player would've done XYZ", as I don't like reducing football to such simple equations, but it seems like Ronaldo's aura of blind confidence always passed on to other players at Juve and Madrid (Bonnuci, Kroos kinda said the same too, i.e.)
Juve lost against some small teams (Ajax, Lyon, Porto) with Ronaldo. He overestimated himself when he left Real Madrid thinking it was him who single handedly won those titles for them. In truth it was the (very strong) team behind him that allowed him to score while covering for the deficiencies in his game plus the luck that Real Madrid have in that competition.
 
Looking for the easy tap in I see. Furious that his teammate scored the said tap in instead.

Ronaldo learnt early in his career that the pointless tricks and flicks that were just that and besides many a times they did not come off or werent effective (unlike the tricks done by Ronaldinho or Neymar). In addition, he also learnt that goals bring glory and hype so he played to score goals; he played for and was obsessed with his stats. He succeeded in a stacked team at Real Madrid.
Fergie bet him £200 that he couldn't score 30 goals in one season, he scored 23 and Fergie had to pay up.
Ronaldo now had the taste for goalscoring and the following season scored 42 goals. He's been hooked ever since that 23 goal season. Early Ronaldo was for me a more exciting player, he became solely a goal scorer. that's my take anyway :)
 
Arguably only the Porto game in 20/21 was Ronaldo not living up to expectations because he performed fairly well in the years before even though Juve got knocked out.

Ajax 18/19 - Ronaldo scored 2 goals (one goal in each game)
Lyon 19/20 - Ronaldo scored 2 goals in the second leg
 
Juve lost against some small teams (Ajax, Lyon, Porto) with Ronaldo. He overestimated himself when he left Real Madrid thinking it was him who single handedly won those titles for them. In truth it was the (very strong) team behind him that allowed him to score while covering for the deficiencies in his game plus the luck that Real Madrid have in that competition.

He is/was the kind of player who is the last missing piece to build the best team. He was insane at Juventus in his first years, I don't know where you get those "Ronaldo's inner thoughts" though.
 
Working with Juventus fans during that period was fun. Went from proclaiming him as the goat before desperately wanting him out and claiming they never liked him in the first place
 
Working with Juventus fans during that period was fun. Went from proclaiming him as the goat before desperately wanting him out and claiming they never liked him in the first place
The reality here is people will always argue that he's backed by solid a team that ensures his success but when the milk starts going sour somehow he's the only one that gets blamed. What happened to the solid team he was leaning on? Why aren't they getting blamed for shit performances as well? It's as if they all evaporate and he's the only one responsible for all the bad performances.
 
He is/was the kind of player who is the last missing piece to build the best team. He was insane at Juventus in his first years, I don't know where you get those "Ronaldo's inner thoughts" though.
He scored goals but also made Juve a 10 men team out of possession and in the build up. Before anyone claims it was age, the fact is that he refused to work for the team at any age. It was always about Ronaldo's personal glory. That wasn't detrimental at Madrid because they were so strong in all areas and generally have can win the ucl without necessarily being the best side; something about Madrid and the champions league that doesn't follow logic. But at Juve and Man utd, that wasn't the case.

Juve were a better team before he joined, winning the league every season, reaching the final of the ucl twice. He weakened them; they got knocked of the UCL by teams they would normally brush aside 3 times in a row and finished 3rd in his 3rd season there. He ofcourse then jumped ship.
 
2 goals already against Al Wehda and we are only 17 mins in.
 
I still love him

Cock for how he left United

But I’d still fancy our chances a hell of a load more if we had him up front in the cup final this month

I hope he publicly apologies and admits regret for how he left one day
 
Oh man, who would have thought that Ronaldo could be freescoring against mighty Al Wehda! :eek:

Tbh this stat-padding of his legacy feels a bit like that clip of Owen with the teenage goalie.

"well done, he’s 13"