If it were thought that the cult Cristiano Ronaldo was diminishing, all he had to do was listen to the man who was supposed to be his superior. Portugal coach Roberto Martinez he was asked about Bruno Fernandes’ goal in the 56th minute against Turkey, which for most spectators would have just been a striker taking on his teammate for an easy finish; think Brian McClair to Paul Ince in the 1994 FA Cup Final. The only notable thing was that someone as intensely obsessed with his own goalscoring record as Cristiano Ronaldo had actually passed the ball, but that kind of surprise wasn’t really the emotion that Martinez was conveying. He was seeking more.
“It’s fantastic to have Cristiano, who is a top scorer, who lives for the goal and then gets in front of the goalkeeper and looks for the pass to Bruno Fernandes. It’s a pure moment in Portuguese football, which should be shown in every gym in the world, and that means more than any goal.”
Yes, but not in the bizarre way Martinez intended. This whole occasion at the Westfalonstadion – which in any normal situation would have simply been a convincing victory of a team that asserts itself as one of the best at Euro 2024 – it was, instead, a case study of great fame.
This is beyond football. This is not like the purely footballing adulation of Diego Maradona. It’s truly beyond the level of most of the world’s biggest celebrities. Many of us have watched games involving Ronaldo, of course, but there’s something about him appearing at an international tournament and a wider audience that reveals just how strange this is. You have to be close to it to really understand it.
There were small moments that helped illustrate the scale of his fame, and not just the pitch invaders of increasing age. From the start, as the teams lined up, virtually every photographer on the pitch was in front of Ronaldo. Those who weren’t were in the press box, pointing cameras at the executive box behind, which featured Ronaldo’s girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez and the rest of the sprawling camp. A burly security guard stood behind the player’s eldest son and understandably warned people not to take photos of the children.
This is the more serious side of this kind of fame, besides the circus. But there was a lot of circus, especially the Ronaldo look-alike, who seemed to speak friendly to the security staff, as if he already knew them.
The day’s headlines were dominated by the six pitch invaders who attempted to take selfies with Ronaldo. That’s an absolutely absurd phrase, but that’s what many people are attracted to. These stories will make numbers; Ronaldo’s numbers, even if that pass to Bruno Fernandes meant he achieved his longest ever run without scoring in a tournament.
Bernardo Silva, scorer of the first goal, was one of the many members of the Portuguese camp questioned about all this.
“It’s a little annoying to always have to stop the game because a fan enters the field. That’s the price you pay for being so recognized in the world of football.”
Ronaldo seemed to be feeling the cost. At the moment of one of the last invaders of the field – once again, an absurd phrase – the player threw his arms up in agitation. In fact, he just wants to play football, or try to, at this point. Ronaldo tried to remove the guy’s arm while security guards kept the attacker away. Later, when the game ended and Ronaldo rolled his eyes at someone else, that person just begged for a photo.
That’s what happened for them. A moment for a lifetime. This is also why Bernardo Silva was partly wrong. This is not just “recognized in the football world”. This is a fitting, global and historic fame. Who in history was better known around the world than Ronaldo? Donald Trump? Tom Cruise? Taylor Swift? William Shakespeare? Jesus Christ?
None of this is a joke. With 632 million followers on Instagram, Ronaldo’s account is the most followed account by 129 million people. Next up is Lionel Messi, but it seems Ronaldo’s wooing of different levels of culture puts him on an entirely different plane.
As for what you say about football, perhaps it is the modern sport taken to its extreme logical conclusion. Historians like Tom Holland say that football is by far the most popular cultural activity that has ever existed, crossing more borders than anything else, so it is perhaps inevitable that one of its best and most glamorous players will reach this level of adulation. The superhero’s physique obviously helps, fostering this type of phenomenon.
Of course, it is something that Ronaldo also cultivated and created. Both he and Messi led football into a new era, and not just to purely sporting standards. Mega-industries were created around them, to the point where the clubs most spiritually associated with them could no longer afford to buy them. Ronaldo’s wages forced Florentino Perez to rethink Real Madrid’s entire financial approach. Messi’s came close to taking Barcelona into bankruptcy. Both were factors in the attempt to create the Superliga.
Nothing like it has ever been seen. Nothing like it will ever be seen again. If so, perhaps this doesn’t say much and is unique. Either way, football has something to deal with.
UEFA has been contacted for comment. This is where we are. Regarding security breaches, the European governing body states that “the disciplinary body will await reports before deciding on any action.”
Bernardo Silva added, however, that he does not feel “in danger”. Even so, actual physical harm occurred to one of his teammates. Ronaldo retreated in frustration as stewards ran after one of the last pitch invaders. They entered with so much force that one of them slipped on striker Gonçalo Ramos as if he were a gearhead, leaving the striker limping.
You can decide by your own symbolism how Ramos should be Ronaldo’s replacement.
Shouldn’t security be tighter for someone so famous?
It is because To paste The magazine does not feature bylines in reviews of Taylor Swift’s albums because the writers are subjected to so much abuse. That’s what that level of fame does. Likewise, you’ll probably just need to take a look at some of the social media responses to this article.
Criticism of Ronaldo doesn’t usually go well. Perhaps this partially explains Martinez’s comment.
At the end of it all, however, it seemed quite different from a “pure Portuguese football moment”. Martinez was probably right, though, that it was more than just a pass or a goal.
Rodriguez, Ronaldo’s girlfriend, watched impassively. Hundreds of millions of other people would have much more excited reactions.
