Different kind of pressure for Ronaldo
Thu Jul 02 11:18AM
Now that Cristiano Ronaldo has completed his £80m move to Real Madrid, we'll see exactly what the Portuguese forward is made of.
The size of the fee, making him the most expensive player in the world, immediately ramps up the pressure on his shoulders.
For that kind of money - and for the wages he will be getting - failure will not be accepted and he will be expected to perform from day one at the Bernabeu.
That's an entirely different situation to the one he found himself in when he arrived at Manchester United.
Back then, in 2003, he was a relatively unknown youngster who merely showed promise. Nothing was expected of him straight away.
He took a few years to adjust before growing into one of the best players in the world, but question marks remain over his ability to perform under intense pressure.
Having scored 42 goals a couple of seasons ago, the hype surrounding him was incredible at the beginning of the last campaign, especially after he had spent the summer being linked with Real.
But on the whole, I don't think he handled it too well. He was too reactive to pressure-cooker situations. He did not play with a smile on his face and he always seemed angry, whether with the opposition, the referee or his own team-mates.
Yes, another season performing at such a high level was virtually impossible. Yes, he managed to score another 26 goals. And yes, he added a few more medals to his collection.
But his performances and his attitude, especially in some of the bigger games, did not suggest he was comfortable playing under such pressure.
Ronaldo certainly needs to add consistency to his game in those big matches. The problem is that next season every game will be a big one for Real.
Having conceded the title to Barcelona, Real fans will be desperate for their team to avoid any further embarrassment.
With Ronaldo and Kaka in their ranks - and Karim Benzema and Franck Ribery expected to follow - they will be looking to surpass Barca, not just equal them.
And having been the undisputed top dog at United, Ronaldo must once again prove himself the main man ahead of some very illustrious colleagues.
Of course that breeds yet more pressure and yet more scrutiny, both of which Ronaldo will have to learn to deal with. If not, he'll find out how quicky the Real fans can turn on their own players.
nothing new in this article paul...
From niyi_gbads on Thu Jul 02 11:43AMRonaldo IS the best player in the world and R Madrid have got a good deal even at 80million.
just try and add up the cost of replacing him it will take 2 0r 3 players and it will cost more than 80m for players that are not as good. Real will see the best years of Ronaldo.
Carrick + Berbatov cost 50million ! now that is ridiculous money !!!
From seanst2003 on Thu Jul 02 12:05PMI remember a few weeks ago Mr Parker wrote an article saying KAKA DEAL SHOWS UP CHELSEA. Funny how hes not saying BENZEMA DEAL SHOWS UP MAN UTD. Bias or sour grapes against Chelsea, Mr Parker?
From soysg on Thu Jul 02 12:14PMi quite agree with you in some area but then if you look at his age, he still has more years ahead of him to give his best to Real Madrid. he'll definitely handle the more pressure very well as time goes on. Also, i dont think there is any new personal laurels for him to win again except the world cup.He has really done his best for us @ Man U and we still and continue love him @ MAN U. I wish him all d best in his Real Madrid career. VIVA RONALDO. MAN UTD. 4 EVER.
From tunjif2 on Thu Jul 02 12:20PMOld news, same moaning.
From nnrico on Thu Jul 02 12:49PMnow THIS was boooooooring
From toneore on Thu Jul 02 12:54PMStating the blindingly obivous again Paul! well done
From pushstartautos on Thu Jul 02 01:01PMRonaldo who??? He goes missing in big matches. He was completely outplayed in the final of the CL and the season before in the semi finals against Barca was completely anon. Yes he played well in the EPL more to the generosity of support from the United players. His ego is the biggest in World football. He deserves to go to Madrid because there he will find the fikle and superficial supporters who resemble him. The fans are not so forgiving in Madrid nor supporters when things don't go well unlike in England. A bad game followed by a tantrum could see him like Beckham relegated to peeling oranges. Mr 'RONALDO' had a good thing that he will come to regret taking for granted.
From barca30@y7mail.com on Thu Jul 02 01:02PMSomethin regarding Man Utd..AGAIN!!
From philkalamita on Thu Jul 02 01:05PMMy guess is that Ronaldo will do fine at Real...he will play at the same level shown at ManU and that will be good for the Real fans...
Good luck Ron.
From ciupy_13 on Thu Jul 02 01:08PMI reckon he'll go to spain and flop.....hes a premeirship player not a slow build up fancy pass player.
From raulpeeves on Thu Jul 02 01:09PMCome on Paul this was pathetic. Still sour that he left Moan United?
Since u keep repeating your articles, here's a good title for you:
"Benzema to-be-deal shows United" ... by the way ... Rooney soon to leave OT
From mantho_d on Thu Jul 02 01:11PMHhmm. Parker, first of all the story is not very insightful and is quite off the mark for someone who is paid to follow football. You failed to mention that Ronaldo was coming off foot surgery over the summer which contributed significantly to his slow start to the season...but still managed to score 26 goals which is remarkable. You also failed to mention that Ronaldo scored some of the most crucial goals of the season for ManU under very high pressure situations which contributed to ManU's success last season (ie CL goals vs. Porto and Arsenal and numerous game winning goals at home). Not only is this story boring but your comments illustrate your not following football at all but following something else. What? I'll leave that to my fellow bloggers.
From m_valadao on Thu Jul 02 01:11PMbarcelona will win la liga because they already have the 3 best players in the world messi,iniesta and xavi.they have already outclassed ronaldo and will do so again next season
From lynncook66 on Thu Jul 02 01:11PMhaha fergie id say ur goin mad
From stephenhanaphy on Thu Jul 02 01:12PMWill Ronaldo escape the football cemetary... GL Ronie
From johnka7a on Thu Jul 02 01:13PMUff ronaldo is leaving united.What a bad choice.
From digliy3 on Thu Jul 02 01:16PMR0n is great n i hope he will overcome the preassure.question is whether utd will fill the gap
From danielwambua99 on Thu Jul 02 01:16PMOk... I usually don't like Parker's arcticles too but lately he's been posting pretty much better ones. This one for instance was good enough. Keep going Paul...
From johnka7a on Thu Jul 02 01:18PMwhat an article...same meaning....bias
From munazry on Thu Jul 02 01:20PMlate...late late......and stating the obvious....
From paulhomy on Thu Jul 02 01:22PMI'm sure most Utd fans would agree that despite league positions or current form, the biggest game of United's season is Liverpool at Old Trafford. I only know he was playing in the recent one because i think he scored the obligatory penalty that Man U always get awarded at home. After that, he was nowhere to be seen, mind you, nor were any of his teamates!!
From brybart69 on Thu Jul 02 01:23PMGreat article Paul
From mig.foster on Thu Jul 02 01:24PMabsoloute dogshit the fee that real bout him for i pray every night that he is goin to be a flop! real madrid are bein stupid in my eyes!
From joshborrow on Thu Jul 02 01:27PMWe'll see if he performs , I think he thrives on situations like this so he should be fine !
From spikeret1 on Thu Jul 02 01:31PMwhat a load of bull mr parker, ronaldo grew into a supreme team at old trafford, a team that was winning and able to adapt to any new comer that arrived to achieve the best result...now at real am sure ronaldo will continue to perform though probably not from day one....it will take a while for all the new players to bed in...stating the obvious i know...but hey you get paid for it paul....must do better!
From stuartxland on Thu Jul 02 01:35PMRonaldo is a fantastic player. just give him time he'll give his fans good result. critics beware!!!
From rexajogbeje on Thu Jul 02 01:36PMi really dont like the author, ManU fanatics.
From siput_babi_90 on Thu Jul 02 01:40PMAll sports lovers, great place for all big and tall singles, please check: ____BigTalls CoM___ ,More fun waiting for
you...From alicezhang2 on Thu Jul 02 01:41PMAll sports lovers, great place for all big and tall singles, please check: ____BigTalls CoM___ ,More fun waiting for
you...From alicezhang2 on Thu Jul 02 01:42PM
Comment on this article
Please sign in to add your comments.
Paul Parker
Sport Newsletter
Catch up with all the latest news
Sign up to our free daily newsletter to recieve the latest news straight to your inbox. Make sure you don’t miss a thing.
Sign up now
This site is Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! and Eurosport. All rights reserved.
- Terms of Service
- Updated Privacy Policy
- Copyright/IP Policy
- Remarks and Suggestions
- Corporate info
- Jobs at Eurosport
Notice: We collect personal information on this site. To learn more about how we use your information, see our Privacy Policy.