Over the last few years, there’s no footballer I’ve loved and despised as much as Ronaldinho.
For me, there’s been nothing quite as inspiring and extraordinary as watching him at his creative best, and at the same time controlling the game with his vision. But, he has had many bad days where he has left me speechless and in tears. I have never doubted his abilities, but have wondered why artistry in football is often bestowed on one least capable of coping with scrutiny and expectation.
Ronaldinho, as long as he is sure of painting that perfect picture, is peerless. But when uncertainty steps in, he has no recourse. He, then, is so jarring that I’ve often prayed he be taken off the field. Because, unlike others, who fulfil their duties by making a few tackles and running the length of the field, Ronaldinho is nothing if he isn’t exquisite.
Sadly, in sports as in life, it is determination and not inspiration that is considered the greatest virtue. And this made me believe that after Ron’s nightmare in World Cup 2006, where Brazil were knocked out in the quarterfinals by finalists France, there was only one way for him - downhill.
But he has surprised me, pleasantly. In Beijing, for the Olympics, Ron has looked fitter than I have ever seen him before. He has been curling those free-kicks into the back of the net. He has been conjuring up newer tricks with every match, and looks determined to win gold for Brazil, one medal that has eluded the Samba boys. Brazil are in the semifinals, where they will face either Argentina or Netherlands. The Selecao beat Cameroon 2-0 in the quarterfinals on Saturday, in a match that went into extra-time.
In Beijing, in their first-round match against New Zealand, Ron scored twice in Brazil’s 5-0 win. He looked happy with his on-now-off-now girlfriend (the football, of course).
It seemed the relationship had revived after a tumultuous period. “This was a reward for everything which I have done and for all the people who believed in me and helped me to start playing again,” he said after the performance. I’d like to believe I played a part in his revival, for of such magnitude has been my emotional investment and the scandalous love-hate relationship I secretly share with him.
I know it is just the Olympics, where the football competition is a sort of a junior tournament, featuring U-23 footballers with only three overage players allowed. And when I speak of the revival, I know there are sterner tests that await him when he returns to his club AC Milan. But I also know, if he wears that gold medal around his neck on August 23, I’ll cry.
