We’re so very tired of this.
Renato Sanches and Dimitri Payet went sliding in, studs were showing, but their eyes were firmly on the ball.
The ball fell to William Carvalho who cushioned his pass out wide to Portugal right-back Cédric Soares. The Southampton defender played an innocuous six-yard pass to the talismanic Cristiano Ronaldo before Payet collided with him.
In that moment, Ronaldo suffered a Grade 1 anterior cruciate ligament injury. His European Championship should have been over in that very second but such is his insatiable will to win, the Real Madrid star got back up to his feet and played on before collapsing to the deck in agony.
Take a look at how his foot was planted. Then look at the direction that his knee was pointed. Again, he played on.
He played on.
Indication of his incredible will to win. #Euro2016Final #Euro2016 pic.twitter.com/iNMDf6FyTz
— Paul Moore (@ElChiefMoore) July 10, 2016
The two-time Ballon D’or winner is one of the most divisive athletes on the planet but nobody took any pleasure in seeing him leave the Stade de France pitch in tears.
Granted, two hours later he would return and lift the Henri Delaunay trophy, but you can only imagine what was going through his head as he was carried off on a stretcher.
Ronaldo’s three goals in France helped guide Portugal to the final and after coming so close to winning their first international trophy in previous European Championships, the weight of a country must have been very heavy on the captain’s shoulders.
Rage, depression, frustration and the feeling of sheer helplessness must have washed over him. One of the world’s finest players was now reduced to the role of cheerleader as his teammates faced a daunting task against France, the hosts. In a career of stellar highs, those few minutes must have been a crushing low.
Unlike Richard Keys, the Real Madrid star probably cares little for ‘banter’ sites, but if Ronaldo did, he wouldn’t have much time for the petty remark that this injury was used as ‘proof’ that he wouldn’t last 10 seconds in a game of hurling.
Whatever the hell that means.
Let’s investigate this screengrab that I took of some top-notch (*cough, cough*) ‘banter’ that was doing the rounds during the All-Ireland hurling final.
To begin with, how incredibly classy is it to mock one of the greatest athletes of the modern era, or any athlete for that matter, while they’re lying on the floor in agony? Oh yeah, at the time that Ronaldo’s excruciating injury occurred in Paris, the same account tweeted these ‘sincere’ well wishes.
Call me cynical but…
Of all the players to choose from in order to convey this ridiculous idea that a footballer wouldn’t last in hurling, Ronaldo is probably the very worst example to use.
There have been times when I genuinely felt like his drive and single-minded commitment to improvement/perfection/domination, was almost like something that you would see in the Terminator films. CR-700 if you will and yes, he’ll be back to his best very soon.
Throughout his career, the Ballon D’Or winner has been a goalscoring machine but, just like any elite athlete that has reached the peak in their chosen sport, it’s not just physical strength that he has relied upon.
Comparing the relative skills of different sports/athletes to answer this pointless question about “the best sport in the world” is like participating in a pissing contest where the wind is blowing in every direction. It’s ridiculous, degrading to all sports and without a single shred of merit.
What metric could you possibly use to measure/compare the benefits of soccer to hurling/boxing/rugby/tiddlywinks etc?
Simply put, it’s impossible to use the unique skills that are, let’s say, required in football, to excel in another sport.
There are certain characteristics that athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo, Henry Shefflin, Serena Williams etc all share though.
Having skill is one thing but it’s those intangible and immeasurable qualities like sacrifice, mental strength and an unwavering determination to be the very best that separate the extraordinary from the rest of the competition.
Football isn’t the only sport to be swept up in this childish back-and-forth where an attitude of “my sport is better than yours” prevails.
In any year with an Olympic Games, some people might argue that the lavish lifestyles of millionaire athletes and club owners are worlds apart from their amateur and (perceived) nobler counterparts.
In strictly fiscal terms this might be true, but various doping scandals, Ryan Lochte’s perjury and Pat Hickey’s corruption scandal have all chipped away at this argument. See, it’s pointless. Argument, counter-argument…pffft, let it be.
Sport is sport.
Regardless if you’re a fan of football, rugby, GAA or dressage, there are commonalities, differences, pros and cons for each. Winners, losers, heroes, villains, controversy, drama, euphoria, despair, pride, passion, saviours, skill, sacrifice and other buzzwords are all relevant. Another sad truth that exists in all sport though, as expressed in that ridiculous tweet, is the fact that participants get injured.
In an All-Ireland final week, it’s very likely that you’ll see memes, posts or remarks that use injuries as some sort of perverse barometer to compare the perceived toughness of athletes and the collective merits of the sports that they play.
In my experience, an undercurrent where footballers are labeled as divers, cheats and pampered millionaires surrounds this concept that they’re somehow ‘weaker’ or ‘softer’ or an ‘easy target’ when compared to other athletes.
The rules of hurling/rugby and various other sports might allow for more direct one-to-one physicality and high-impact contact, but if you buy into this notion that soccer is a less physical, tough, manly (whatever derogatory word/term that people use) then I’d encourage you to Google the following names; David Busst, Eduardo, Luc Nilis or Henrik Larsson along with the word injury.
Nobody likes to see any athlete injured but it’s part of the profession. What’s not required, though, is this perverse need to add insult to injury by measuring/comparing/remarking on the perceived pain threshold and abilities of one athlete over another.
Ridiculous comparisons like the one below, a highly tenuous one that was made between the attendances in Belgrade and Thurles, are a disservice to everyone involved.
Alienation over inclusion.
For those of you who might still think that soccer/hurling/football/rugby/boxing/cycling/etc is the best sport in the world, I say this.
Drop the smugness, Ronaldo does that well enough himself.
