Cristiano Ronaldo, the football media's favourite punching bag

For a decade and a half, negative coverage of CR7 has racked up the clicks. But is it responsible journalism?

In the age of the attention economy, few things rack up as many clicks as the names of the famous. Drop a few names, and your run-of-the-mill coverage suddenly has reach and passionate debate. And, if you can spin it in a negative light, all the better. Few things catch the public eye like a fall from grace.

For a decade and a half, the media has used Cristiano Ronaldo to power the business of their football coverage.

Ronaldo is one of the most iconic footballers of all time. Throughout a remarkable career, he has weathered storms of criticism, much of it unwarranted. Despite his achievements and humanitarian endeavours, the media has pushed a negative image of Ronaldo for outrage and attention. 

After all, Ronaldo is no regular athlete. He is bigger than many brands. Juventus' market worth doubled from $600 million to $1.2 billion when Ronaldo joined the club in 2018 from Spanish giants Real Madrid. Al Nassr's Instagram following has grown from less than a million to more than 10 million since his signing. That's the value of his mere existence. With 544 million Instagram followers and 161 million Facebook followers, he is the most followed athlete of all time and one of the top five most followed people in the world. Any association with Ronaldo, and you've just landed on the front page.

The media is notorious for making mountains from molehills and love giving their audience what they want. And what they apparently wanted was a villain. Ronaldo has been depicted as arrogant, egotistical, and even tyrannical. Not only is he one of the greatest athletes in the world, but he is also one of the most despised. 

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In 2013, then FIFA President Sepp Blatter spoke about his preference for Lionel Messi over Ronaldo, saying the Argentinian was a 'good boy'. He even mocked Ronaldo for incurring more expenses at the hairdresser. 

Ronaldo's response was simple – the 'El Commandante' celebration after scoring a penalty. 

The difference between the handling of the situation by the president of football's apex organisation and a player is vast. And it doesn't feel like it is a simple bias. It feels like outright hatred. 

As Ronaldo himself said, "They hate me because maybe I'm too good."

In fact, many reasons cited for people's dislike of Ronaldo appear to just be excuses.

Many other players don't receive the same scrutiny Ronaldo does. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is called 'confident' and is well-liked, while Ronaldo is deemed arrogant. Zlatan joins the MLS – widely regarded as a retirement home for older stars - to media chants of 'lion'. In contrast, Ronaldo's decision to join Juventus was seen as a move to a "farmer's league". They forget that Juventus and Serie A compatriots Roma are two reasons Barcelona have not won the Champions League since 2015.  

These comparisons show the undue scrutiny of Ronaldo, even when compared to players of similar public images. 

Rather than giving Ronaldo his due, they turn against him. 

A MESSI CONTRAST

Blatter's comparison between Ronaldo and Messi is quite common. 

The footballing world often comes together to celebrate Messi, as they did after his win at the 2022 World Cup. 

But Ronaldo's achievements are often overlooked. 

After all, Ronaldo was the first player in World Cup history to score a hat-trick against Spain. He has also smashed Atletico Madrid, one of the finest defensive teams in the world, multiple times with both Real Madrid and Juventus. Ronaldo has also broken one of the world's finest goalkeepers, Manuel Neuer, more times than Messi has won the UCL top scorer award. 

As Ronaldo transformed himself into a goal machine, Messi's devotees argued that he wasn't the best because 'all he does is score'. But if what Ronaldo does is easy, why haven't other great strikers, like Suarez or Lewandowski, achieved it? 

This is where hatred and hypocrisy enter the picture. There is a persistent effort to 'rubbish' Ronaldo's achievements in football. 

He constantly pushed boundaries, broke records, and set new ones. 

Sometimes it seems like people are angry at Ronaldo for 'interfering' with Messi's rightful place at the top of the footballing pyramid. But it's somewhat puzzling when people claim that Ronaldo was born in the wrong era when he has been challenged so persistently by someone who doesn't have the same level of natural talent. Through hard work, grit, and determination, Ronaldo has pulled himself up to Messi's level and even surpassed him time and time again.

But to some, it feels like blasphemy – an affront to Messi, the gift from the football gods.

Ronaldo challenged destiny, contesting a battle never meant to be fought. Football was to have only a single iconic legend to characterise the era. But Ronaldo did not allow Messi to have a comfortable reign. Ronaldo took the spot of Champions League top scorer. Messi was LaLiga's breakout superstar, but Ronaldo robbed the shine off by scoring at a more prolific rate. Messi trails Ronaldo on the number of career hat-tricks. And it's only in the past few years that Messi has pulled away in the Ballon d'Or race. 

Some of Messi's fans believe that Ronaldo stole these achievements and still dare to claim that Ronaldo is arrogant. 

Even Messi has said that Ronaldo's treatment makes him feel terrible, and he would not be able to achieve what he has done while being so despised.

Nobody can disagree that Ronaldo is a gifted footballer in dribbling, feints, sprints, shoots, free kicks, headers, or anything else football. He is one of the most complete players the world has seen.

But the issue is that Ronaldo is aware of his ability. He knows his skill and works to make himself invulnerable. He is a top-level competitor and relishes the opportunity to define himself on the field. And that is perhaps why every defender alive wants to get the better of him. 

The press shares the same sentiment.

APPARENT BIAS

In 2018, a Spanish tabloid stated that Ronaldo had committed tax evasion and was facing jail time. However, Ronaldo's legal team soon discredited the story, and the accused were absolved of all charges. In 2017, when the allegations first emerged, prosecutors said it was a "voluntary and conscious breach of his fiscal obligations in Spain." However, Ronaldo's lawyers claimed due to a misunderstanding of what was and was not required by Spanish law. They denied any deliberate attempt to evade taxes.

This was mainly due to Spain eliminating a tax exemption in 2010 amid a financial crisis. Messi was sentenced to 21 months in jail on similar accusations as Ronaldo, but under Spanish legislation, he was entitled to pay a fine instead. As expected, Ronaldo's case drew more attention than his Catalan counterpart.

Ronaldo has also been called a racist. In 2017, an Instagram photo he shared with countryman Nelson Semedo was labelled racist due to the unusual caption, "Perfect Match Black and White Chocolate." Semedo did not complain about it, but it made the rounds in the media. Meanwhile, Ronaldo defended Kalidou Koulibaly after the defender faced racist chants during a 2018 match against Inter Milan at the San Siro. 

In 2017, Der Spiegel published allegations of rape against Ronaldo. Ronaldo's accuser revealed her identity a year later, and the story went viral. Personal attacks in the form of articles, tweets, and videos spurred outrage, labelling him a rapist. When the Clark County district attorney's office dropped all criminal charges against Ronaldo and declined to prosecute the 10-year-old sexual assault allegation, it did not garner the same attention.

After winning FIFA's The Best award in 2016, Ronaldo told the Spanish radio station COPE, "There were many doubts, many campaigns against me from inside and outside football," 

"They wanted to hit me from all sides and the truth is The Best was The Best, and that is me, so I am very happy."

"They wanted me to feel bad, but as I have said 'he who owes nothing, fears nothing in life'. As always, I have shut up a few mouths once again."

BEYOND FOOTBALL

While the media coverage of Ronaldo is notable, what they decline to cover is often just as interesting. 

The media do not regularly bring up the reconstruction and rehabilitation fund Ronaldo set up in Aceh, Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami and earthquake, the 9-year-old whose treatment was funded by Ronaldo and his agent in May 2012, or the Golden Boot he donated to charity to raise £1.3 million for the Real Madrid Foundation, which empowers young children. They don't discuss the £55,000 for the brain surgery of ten-month-old Erik Ortiz Cruz in 2014. Or how he chooses not to drink because he donates blood and bone marrow twice a year. 

Ronaldo may look cocky on the field, but those result from his fixation with perfection and his drive to be the greatest, both of which have led to success. 

Off the field, he should receive credit for his help to worthwhile causes, using his celebrity to highlight them. 

A MATTER OF RESPONSIBILITY

It is the responsibility of the media to go above and beyond to uncover the truth. And while the media plays a vital role in exposing public figures' wrongdoings, it is also necessary that they exercise responsibility and avoid sensationalism.

However, much of the industry fails to meet this standard. Not all the news reported is free of bias. In fact, some of it can feel like outright propaganda. 

Ronaldo is not the only athlete treated poorly by the press. Still, he serves as an example that the media must be held accountable for their reportage. They should not be able to use people as pawns to drum up publicity.  

This article is part of Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication focusing on culture and society from a youth perspective.