Let me say upfront that this piece is not just about a footballer or even football; it is really about life.

C Ronaldo, as he is most popularly called, is certainly one of the greatest footballers of all time. Even his ‘enemies’ in the region of Catalonia in Spain cannot say otherwise. I do not attempt to weigh in on the unending argument on who is the better player between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

I took interest in watching foreign football leagues sometime in 2005. I was then fascinated by the swift tip toe running and dribbling style of the Manchester United right winger. He looked like a player with quite a potential but there was no obvious sign that this dude was going to upturn dozens of records set before his time. C Ronaldo has broken records everywhere he has been—Portugal, England, Spain, and recently Italy.

His has been a story of a passionate commitment to improvement and excellence. In my view, which not a few people may disagree with, Cristiano Ronaldo is a less gifted player than Lionel Messi. However, his is a clear example that some deficit of gifting need not be an obstacle to excellence. By 2012, Messi had bagged the Ballon d’Or awards (FIFA best player of the year) a record 4 times!, while Ronaldo had won it just once. But today, the award score between the duo is 5-5. By any standard that is a remarkable comeback!

Here are some of C Ronaldo’s achievements in football: Ronaldo is the first player to win four European Golden Shoes. He is the only player to have won FIFA best player of the year as an English Premier League player. He has won 26 trophies in his career, including five league titles, five UEFA Champions League titles and one UEFA European Championship. A prolific goal scorer, Ronaldo holds the records for most official goals scored in Europe’s top-five leagues (402) and the UEFA Champions League (120). He has scored over 680 senior career goals for club and country. He is Real Madrid’s all-time top goal scorer. He is the only player that has won the UEFA champions League 5 times. For his country Portugal, he is the most capped player and the all-time top goal scorer. And he is not even stopping!

The organization health expert, Patrick Lencioni, identifies the 3 most important attributes of a team player. Every person alive is in one team or the other (except maybe the prisoner in permanent solitary confinement). Lencioni is not a football coach; he teaches that these attributes apply to all teams—families, businesses, organizations, and so on. These attributes are Hungry, Humble and Smart.

All these key attributes of a team player are present in Cristiano Ronaldo. Of the 3, Hunger is by far the most dominant in him. Hungry persons always seek improvement. They believe that no matter the achievement of the past, they can surpass it. Ronaldo has broken many records but he still wants to set new ones! His intense drive to achieve is underscored by how many hat-tricks (3 goals in a match) he has scored—34 in Spain. Most players, after scoring 2 goals in a match, would be content but not Ronaldo.

How C Ronaldo has managed to keep a ruthless goal-scoring-machine body over these years has been an open mystery. A mystery because his kind of consistency is very rare! A player that scores more than 50 goals per season for 6 years consecutively is stuff of legends. Nevertheless, how he has done it is not something hidden. There are no secret potions. He achieves it by relentless training. Carlos Tevez, Ronaldo’s team mate at Manchester United has this to say of him. ‘When the training was set for 9 in the morning I arrived 8 and he was already there. Even if I arrived at 7:30 he was already there.’ Responding to questions on how he has been able to maintain such high performance physique, Ronaldo himself has this to say: ‘Be disciplined. Keep yourself motivated and sticking to your routine is key. For me, there is no room for easing off so I have to be strict (with myself).

Humble. This is the 2nd attribute of the ideal team player. Humility in a team member shows up as a lack of excessive ego, or concerns about status. They are quick to share credit, praise others freely, and sometimes even forego credit due to them in the interest of celebrating the team’s collective win. Those of you who know Ronaldo may be doubting if he fits this description. True, humility is not one of his strong points however it is impossible for him to have attained such heights without some good dose of humility. Every footballer has a coach under whose supervision and guidance the player grows in the game. Ronaldo undoubtedly would have been corrected severally by his coaches. His great ability in football is proof that he has taken to correction over the years. It takes some humility to do this.

Being smart is the number 3. Patrick Lencioni describes ‘smart’ in the context of the ideal player. It is having emotional intelligence and interpersonal awareness. It is capability to conduct oneself in a group situation and deal with others in the most effective way. From Manchester United to Real Madrid and Juventus football clubs, Ronaldo has shown he is smart with people. As noted earlier, every single person has one team or the other. In football, especially, the dynamics of teamwork is so evident. One’s success is the team’s success and the team’s success is one’s success.

By moving to Juventus FC, Ronaldo realizes that he would have to deal with a lot of experienced players in the squad. Despite his status as the biggest boy in the team, to be successful in the new club he would have to be people smart. And after 4 months in Turin, it is so far so good. It is important to note that Ronaldo’s success is not just at club level. For the past 10 years he has provided leadership for Portugal’s national team as captain. During this time Portugal won the first European trophy.

Cristiano Ronaldo will always have his place as one of the greatest players in football. In his own words, ‘I am not a perfectionist, but I like to feel that things are done well. More important than that, I feel an endless need to learn, to improve, to evolve.’ We wish Ronaldo more success!


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Why the long Epistle? You wan tell us Wetin we no know or you no get work?