- Cristiano Ronaldo is on way to becoming the Michael Jackson of football
- Fans appear to idolise either Ronaldo or rival Lionel Messi - never both
- Messi is surrounded by team-mates who can get him in line if he plays up
- Ronaldo, on the other hand, runs the show at Real Madrid and Portugal
In truth, it was very easy to laugh: the missed penalty, the disallowed goal, the chances spurned. When the preening is such that a peacock might blanche, when you invite cameras to shoot soft-focus documentaries of your life and then, worst of all, pour scorn on Iceland, the world’s latest, favourite underdog, then you have to accept you are well on the way to becoming the Michael Jackson of football.
In fact being at Parc des Princes on Saturday night was a little like what it must have been like to be at Jackson concert when the timing was slightly off and the band didn’t always come in at the right time, but, whatever; he would still have been the most-charismatic performer on the planet at that time and well worth a watch. Ronaldo simply sucks attention on to himself. He demands it. And it is both what makes him great and makes his such an easy target to lampoon.
What is bizarre is that Lionel Messi was equalling Gabriel Batistuta’s Argentinian goal-scoring record on Saturday night in beating Venezuela 4-1. And just imagining Ronaldo checking his phone to see that news brings a smile to your face, doesn’t it? In Messi, we have a man with the same talent, the same need to prove himself, the same desire to be at the centre of the game and who yet avoids the kind of mockery Ronaldo invites because somehow he does all of the above without showing it quite so desperately.
Cristiano Ronaldo is always the centre of attention whether he is representing Real Madrid or Portugal
Ronaldo practises his close control as he gears up for his side's crucial Group F clash with leaders Hungary
Ronaldo keeps a close eye on the ball as Jose Fonte (centre) and Nani (left) battle for possession
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