Cristiano Ronaldo will illuminate the 2010 World Cup final
When Cristiano Ronaldo finally left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid, many questioned whether the desire to succeed still burned in the young Portuguese footballer. After all, Ronaldo had won just about every trophy that could be won with the English champions. From domestic titles to European trophies, every young player’s best decoration dream had already decorated his trophy case when he pitched for Spain.
During his arrival and subsequent presentation to the adoring fans at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, Ronaldo was also put to the test, suggesting that celebrity glitz and high-profile glamor were more important to both the player and the club than success on the field. The first few months of his Spanish career were also a time of physical testing as he suffered injuries that sidelined him for long periods. There were also subsequent brushes with the laws of the sport that saw him suspended for enough games for results to matter.
Despite these issues, Ronaldo has been adamant that while he believes the label of the world’s best player sits comfortably on his shoulders, he has yet to achieve everything he wants as a player. The Portuguese winger is determined to win the Spanish La Liga title with the club he supported when he was a child and plays for now. The clean sweep of 6 trophies by rival club Barcelona in the last year would have also led Ronaldo to want to do the same for Real Madrid.
This year also marks the return of the World Cup finals and the World Cup and South Africa will be its stage. Ronaldo led Portugal through a test qualifying stage to finally confirm his appearance in the 2010 edition of the world’s biggest sporting event. With a willing supporting cast in the rest of the Portuguese team, the football world perhaps more, perhaps at the feet of Cristiano Ronaldo in June. He could mark the crowning achievement of the young player if he can lead his country to an unlikely World Cup trophy in the final.
World soccer’s governing body, FIFA, had already breathed a sigh of relief when initial fears that Portugal would miss out on the 2010 World Cup finals proved unfounded. While the European nation needed a tiebreaker to seal their spot, they would never get to a point where the world’s most exciting player stayed at home. Ironically, Ronaldo was suspended for the second leg of the playoffs and had to thank his teammates for their efforts in helping him realize his dream.
What is sure to follow in South Africa will be Ronaldo dazzling audiences around the world with his agile footwork and impressive skills on the ball. Manchester United fans could be forgiven for feeling a bit of regret about letting him go, though they really had little say in the club’s decision to cash in on the player’s sale given the colossal debt they are experiencing. But what has been a loss for the English champions can only be a gain for Real Madrid and Portugal as Cristiano Ronaldo shows them what they keep missing on football’s biggest stage, the Copa finals. FIFA World Cup 2010.