Ronaldo upsets over speedster chaos during European Championship game: selfie request
Portugal spoils Turkey's celebration in Dortmund: With a dominant and authoritative performance, Cristiano Ronaldo's team overpowers Turkey. Surrounded by passionate fans, Ronaldo is in high demand. But his relationship has come to an end.
Once the world's best soccer player, Ronaldo is no longer so. His move to the soccer paradise of Saudi Arabia on January 1, 2023, confirmed it. He's now enjoying the twilight of his extraordinary career with lots of money and lots of love. In the desert kingdom, he's the king, while he's no longer the same in global soccer. Players like Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Jamal Musiala have long surpassed him. At least in his home country, they still believe in him wholeheartedly.
However, that lies in an uncertain future. A future without Ronaldo. Yet he seems determined to keep the present going forever. At the European Football Championship, he's there and is his team's captain. He's back in the starting lineup, and there's an aura around him that fills an entire, large stadium. In Dortmund, since the previous Tuesday, it's a Turkish party hotspot, his name is announced 30 minutes before the game. In the relentless boos from the Turkish fans, there's occasional applause. The world star is bigger than soccer boundaries. His best performance on the big stage had the now 39-year-old in the second game of the group, not. Many things are happening around him, and he trips, runs the wrong way, is ignored.
After the break, the scene changes. After 56 minutes, a ball lands exactly where Ronaldo had called for it - at his feet. Ronaldo takes control of the game, runs towards the Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, places the ball accurately to the left, and there Bruno Fernandes has run up, scoring the 3-0. That's also the final score and the last relevant moment in this game.
As the game is decided, it becomes laborious for Ronaldo. Not because he has to run long distances, but because many people suddenly take long strides for him. One flash after another rushes onto the field to take a selfie with the striker. These are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, the last ones on the big stage, probably. When a small boy, not even ten years old, dashes onto the field push through the thick ranks of stewards, Ronaldo takes his time. The boy's passion moves him. He sits next to him, takes a photo, a really nice moment. When the stewards come, unsure of what to do with him, he takes off. An impressive slalom run through the people with yellow vests. At the sidelines, two stewards take him in, laughing. The Portuguese substitutes pat him on the shoulder. When he greets the South Stand, again in Turkish hands, the crowd goes wild.
"They let that young man experience the big moment. The star, the orderly, the fans. But a few minutes later, as the next visitor dashes onto the lawn, the mood becomes uneasy. One more time, Ronaldo allows himself to be photographed, but he's no longer happy. Three more men make it onto the field, in Turkish jerseys. Love knows no boundaries. One of them hangs around the shoulders of the 39-year-old. He's really annoyed, waves them away. That's enough. On the stands, there are boos. The stewards are getting angrier, and they throw a man out. How can that be, that five intruders break through? Good question, UEFA must surely adjust again.
"This is the price we pay when we're so famous," Portugal's national coach Roberto Martinez criticized the scenes. "Today we were lucky that the fans had good intentions. This is a critical moment. If the intentions are bad, the players are defenseless. It shouldn't happen in a game. Maybe it will get worse in the future. It must not be that the players are delivered like this." Bruno Silva, who scored the first goal, is not "really concerned, but it's annoying to keep interrupting the game. That's the price we have to pay when we're so famous. But the players aren't worried on the field. I'm not either."
Ronaldo is allowed to play until the end. He gets 30 ball contacts. He should have had more, at least in his eyes. Time and again, he shows his teammates what they could have done differently. Time and again, he points to his feet. The ball should have landed there. In the end, only the stadium is left at his feet. They sing his name and grow louder as soon as the stadium equipment approaches. Not only in the Portuguese block. A few Turkish fans have extra jerseys. When their team is clearly losing, they change their jerseys. The best soccer player in the world he is no longer, the GOAT, the "Greatest of all time" remains he, even as a top-performing football grandfather, he's become now.
Read also:
In preparation for the European Football Championship 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo leads Portugal's squad, showcasing his enduring influence in soccer. Despite the intrusive selfie requests during the game against Turkey, Ronaldo box office appeal remains unmatched, transcending soccer boundaries.
