In passing an international century, Ronaldo has constructed a monument to himself that may never be surpassedEat, sleep, score against Armenia, repeat. And repeat. Then repeat again for the next 13 years until there are no more rungs left to climb, and the entire Fifa-mapped world, from Oceana to Concacaf, has been coloured a shade of Cristiano.Yes, I watched all 101 of Cristiano Ronaldo’s international goals so you don’t have to. It was a brilliantly absorbing watch too, a flick-book version of the journey from there to here, with a sense of the past beginning to stir, older Ronaldos coming into view, Ronaldos beyond the Ronaldos. Related: Juve’s punt on Sarri and Ronaldo typifies superclubs’ vast carelessness | Jonathan Wilson...
Cristiano Ronaldo has Ali Daei’s unheralded milestone in sight, which would suitably crown a unique type of brillianceFamously, the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il only ever played one game of golf. In 1994 state media reported Kim had picked up a club for the first time at the country’s only golf course. Happily he took to the sport instantly, completing his debut round in a world-record 38 under par with 11 holes in one. At which point he announced he was retiring from golf and would never play again.It is of course a terrible blow for golf to lose such a talent, and tantalising to imagine just how good the Supreme Commander Of The People’s Army could have become. Worse,...
Two long nights in Portugal gave me a new-found respect for pitchside reporters and an extra-time craving for a bananaIt’s the 90th minute. Cristiano Ronaldo, on a hat‑trick, cuts inside his man and whacks it in the corner of the net to seal Portgual’s 3-1 win against Switzerland in the Nations League. I am reporting pitchside for the Australian TV network Optus Sport. What an honour, to witness the second greatest player of the modern era shine so brightly in front of his adoring home support.Except I don’t see it. As Ronaldo strikes the ball, I am sprinting down five flights of concrete steps. There is a lot of concrete in Porto’s stadium and I am surrounded by it. A...
Portugal captain enters Nations League showdown knowing an undying drive cannot sustain his career for ever‘How dull it is to pause, to make an end, to rust unburnish’d, not to shine in use!” Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of many things across his impossibly gilded carer, some more serious than others. But his sheer unbending will remains a remarkable source of strength in his late years. Like Ulysses in the poem, returning home to Ithaca from his glorious travels, there is an element of epic glamour about Ronaldo’s presence as Portugal’s captain in Porto for the Nations League final on Sunday night. Related: Ivan Perisic shows no mercy as Croatia put early dent in Wales’ Euro 2020 hopes Continue reading...
Juve’s response to the Ronaldo rape allegations was to call him ‘a great champion’ but the important thing is to judge on factsAs the Uefa Nations League weekender rolls on from Friday into Tuesday it is hard not to luxuriate a little in the glow of international football, to feel fuzzy and loved-up still from that sun-bleached World Cup. The Nations League has been criticised for its fiddly nature but whatever the background noise there is an undying grandeur to these games. Netherlands v Germany remains one of the great European retro-hate matches, and on Monday night Spain, still stung from the summer, still effortlessly talented, will host England in Andalusia.There is one significant absence from this spectacle. Cristiano Ronaldo...