Cristiano Ronaldo: Football Virtuoso Equipped with Class and Modesty

The embodiment of the superlative, striker Cristiano Ronaldo gathers titles by the dozen: Most Expensive Football Player in History; Most Goals in a Single Season; Fastest Player to Reach 50, 100, 150 and 200 Goals, etc. He’s also a most likeable guy with an ego largely unaffected by his remarkable success on the pitch. That alone is surely enough to make Cristiano Ronaldo a hero in anyone’s book.

Currently on the squad of Real Madrid and captain of Portugal’s national team, Cristiano Ronaldo in January 2014 scored the 400th goal of his professional career. Of course, racking up goals is what he does best: Ronaldo is the first player to move the scoreboard forty times in two consecutive seasons. In Spain, he became the first player of La Liga to score against every single opponent in a single season.

Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t merely play well when in possession of the ball; he is a gifted tactician with a sharp mind, excellent vision and, most of all, an expert sense of game development. His anticipatory powers get him at the right spot at the right time. These gifts make the difference between a good player and an excellent one.

“Last year, Cristiano Ronaldo became an ambassador for both Save the Children and the Mangrove Care Forum in Indonesia which aims to preserve that country’s biodiversity.”

Contrary to most football players of note, Cristiano Ronaldo keeps a rather off-pitch low profile. His is not a life of wild excess or glitter and glamour. He keeps well clear of controversy and minds his manners. Cristiano Ronaldo is no stranger to philanthropy. He regularly, and quietly, contributes to good causes ranging from a £100,000 (EUR120,000) donation to a hospital on his native Madeira to £830,000 (EUR1m) for schools in Gaza. The latter sum was raised when Cristiano Ronaldo sold the Golden Bot he had won in 2009.

Last year, Cristiano Ronaldo became an ambassador for both Save the Children and the Mangrove Care Forum in Indonesia which aims to preserve that country’s biodiversity.

SportsPro, a publication dedicated to reporting on the financial side of professional sports, named Cristiano Ronaldo one of the world’s most marketable athletes alongside star striker Leonel Messi of Argentina. Product endorsements earn the Portuguese striker an estimated £12m (EUR14.5m) annually.

A professional athlete doing well for himself, his fans and for the wider world may not appear to be that exceptional but when delivered with a smile and in an unpretentious manner, such an athlete becomes a hero.