It is the tears that remain in the memory. The tears that Cristiano Ronaldo shed when he stood on the pitch at half-time of extra time, his face contorted in pain, his eyes watery. His teammates rushed to him, hugged him, spoke kindly to him. These were moments in which one of the greatest football players of this century revealed his vulnerable side. Right on the stage, in front of millions of people watching on television.
“That’s football. You can’t explain what happens. It’s all or nothing – and then fate and luck turn,” said Ronaldo after the final whistle. “I tried to decide the game, but I didn’t succeed.” He seemed very shaken by what had happened.
Portugal’s games at this European Championship are also being played on a meta level. And on Monday evening in the round of 16 in Frankfurt, it was not the Portuguese national team playing against the Slovenians, it was more of a Ronaldo game. There is no other player at this tournament who has captivated people so much, who changes the atmosphere in the stadium just by coming onto the pitch to warm up.
Cell phones are then held up in the air in the stands, reels are posted on Instagram – as a kind of digital proof with the place and time and the statement: I was there! The fans wear jerseys with his name on the back, they are jerseys from Manchester United, Real Madrid, Al-Nassr FC or the national team. In a sport that is no longer just about the game, but increasingly about entertainment, Ronaldo is still the biggest name in world football at the age of 39.
Consolation from colleague Pepe: Ronaldo during the match against SloveniaEPA
The pitch remains his stage. And what he performs there has become a personal drama. It is about a man who is no longer only faced with opponents, but also his own age. If you want to put it this way, this battle is basically hopeless. Ronaldo is no longer as fast as he was a few years ago, he has lost his jumping ability, perhaps also his reaction speed – and yet he is a permanent fixture in coach Roberto Martinez’s team.
“Everyone in the dressing room was excited and I think he taught us a lesson about having high expectations and never giving up,” said the 50-year-old Spaniard after the match. “There are difficult moments in life and he is an example that we are really proud of in Portuguese football.”
Ronaldo’s mother cried in the stands
It was 11:13 p.m., the last scene of the first half of extra time, when Ronaldo stood on the 16-yard line, waiting for the way to be cleared for him. Shortly before, Diogo Jota had been brought down in the Slovenian penalty area, and referee Daniele Orsato from Italy rightly awarded a penalty. Ronaldo kissed the ball once, took a few steps, kissed the ball again, cell phone cameras filmed him, and every gesture he made could be seen on the large video cube in the stadium. Then he positioned the ball, took a run-up, shot into the right corner from his point of view, and had to watch as Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak deflected the ball onto the post.
Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, Ronaldo’s mother, was sitting in the stands. She was crying.
About half an hour later, Ronaldo was back in the same place, again holding the ball in his hands, again kissing it. “I was sure that he had to be the first penalty taker and that he would show us the way to victory,” said coach Martinez later. “We are all very proud of our captain.”
This time Ronaldo chose the left corner, Oblak stretched in vain. Ronaldo then turned to the Portuguese fans, folded his hands, as if he wanted to apologize for missing his first penalty. After Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva also scored, and because goalkeeper Diogo Costa saved all three of the Slovenians’ shots, Portugal managed to make it to the quarter-finals of this European Championship and will face France in Hamburg on Friday evening (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the European Football Championship, on ZDF and on MagentaTV).
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What happened around midnight in Frankfurt was at times surreal. There was Diogo Costa, the goalkeeper who was voted “Player of the Match”, who was photographed on the field with his little trophy, and yet somehow seemed lost because Ronaldo was standing next to him giving interviews – and started crying again. “I was at my lowest point when the team needed me the most,” he said.
It is a sentence that may sound meaningless. But it is not, as it gives a glimpse of what is going on inside him. Ronaldo, at least, is clearly still certain that he is the man who can make the difference for Portugal. Despite his age, despite his commitment to Saudi Arabia, for which he is well paid, but which also separates Ronaldo in his everyday life as a professional from competition at the highest level of football.
On Wednesday evening, two days after the game, data was released showing what the decisive minutes against Slovenia did to Ronaldo. As he prepared to take his second penalty of the evening, his heart rate was only 100 beats per minute.
It was his lowest value of the entire game. When the ball hit the net, his heart rate rose to 150 beats per minute, and after Bernardo Silva’s final shot, it even rose to 180 beats per minute. Ronaldo wore a fitness bracelet from the company Whoop during the game. He is one of the investors in the company – and has now turned a European Championship round of 16 match into a marketing platform for himself.
Not a single free kick ends up in the goal
Critics accuse coach Martinez of fielding a Cristiano Ronaldo-esque team at this European Championship. One in which most of the action revolves around the old man in the center of the attack – despite the fact that there are more than a dozen highly talented players in the squad. Ronaldo has taken 20 shots on goal at this European Championship, more than anyone else, but he is still without a goal. Statisticians have also calculated that in his six European Championship appearances so far, he has taken 33 direct free kicks, and not one of them has ended up in the goal.
This doesn’t necessarily say anything about the quality of his free kicks, but rather something about Ronaldo’s ability to place the ball in position, no matter how hopeless the position may be. Against Slovenia, the ball was on the left side near the penalty area six minutes before half-time. Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes were ready, discussing whether to hit the ball into the middle with a cut towards the goal or away from the goal, when Ronaldo trotted towards them. He didn’t say a word, but both of them immediately knew that there was nothing more they could do. Ronaldo took charge and smashed the ball out of the goal.
Rich in gestures: Ronaldo at the European Football Championship in GermanyAP
To get a sense of how good Ronaldo is today, it’s worth taking a look at his opponent that evening: Vanja Drkusic, a 24-year-old central defender who was previously only known to experts. Two and a half years ago, the Slovenian moved to FK Sochi in Russia for 120,000 euros. Drkusic is not a top-class defender, Drkusic defended attentively and resolutely, and that was enough in most situations.
Ronaldo repeatedly struggled with his fate. When Petar Stojanovic took the ball from him, the Portuguese struck the classic Christ the Redeemer pose – only nine minutes had been played. When the referee moved a free kick a few meters back, Ronaldo laughed sarcastically. When the linesman ruled it offside, he waved his index finger.
Is it all a bit over the top? That may seem like it to outsiders. Measured by today’s parameters, Ronaldo is the most famous person in the world. 633 million fans follow his Instagram channel, and at this European Championship dozens tried to get onto the pitch to be as close to their idol as possible, to get a selfie with him for their own personal eternity. Those who spend day after day with him during these European Championship weeks, on the other hand, always praise his view of the team. “It’s a pleasure and an honour to be on the same team as him,” said goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
It was already after midnight when Ronaldo entered the catacombs of the arena in Frankfurt, where Awar Shanek was waiting for him. The four-year-old had come to Germany from Syria with his family in the hope that doctors would be able to help the boy, who was suffering from cancer. They were unable to. He is now being cared for by the palliative care team at the University Hospital in Giessen. One of his greatest wishes was to meet Ronaldo one day – the hr3 morning show arranged it. And there he was, in the red Portugal jersey. Ronaldo stayed with him for five minutes, signed autographs and chatted with him. It was later said that this was one of the best days of Awar Shanek’s life.
Ronaldo later said that this would be his last European Championship. What he didn’t say was that he wouldn’t be at the World Cup in two years.
