If you’re having a Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest footballer ever party right now, Chelsea star Cesc Fabregas is taking your punch bowl away. While acknowledging Ronaldo’s current fine form at the World Cup in Russia, Fabregas also points out how some of the current hype is unwarranted. Ronaldo has scored four times in the first two games for Portugal, including a hat trick in the opener, an Iberian Peninsula derby draw with Spain.
In scoring his 85th career goal for country this week, he’s now the highest-scoring European born player in international football history. Portugal takes on Iran on Monday, needing only a draw to go through to the knockout round.
Fabregas didn’t make the cut for that Spanish side which drew with the Portugese, and he has spent part of his time off writing an op-ed for BBC Sport. Fabregas wanted to let people know that Ronaldo’s goals have come via situations that are easier to score from.
“These days, Cristiano Ronaldo has a very different role for Portugal,” Fabregas wrote. “He mainly stays up front and you no longer see him running all over the pitch.”
“He is one of the big names in Russia who has made a strong start to this World Cup, in terms of goals, with four so far. Yes, he is playing well, but if you really look at what he has done, he has scored one penalty, one free kick, one goal from a corner and one with a shot that David De Gea should have saved.”
“You cannot say that he and Portugal have shown great combinations or tiki-taka football to score great goals. You have to give him credit, of course, but his goals have come from set-pieces, penalties or mistakes.”
Yes, Cesc Fabregas is not playing in this tournament, and he’s instead watching at home while Ronaldo is dominating. However, the Spaniard does make quite a few excellent points.
Ronaldo is being hyped up because the media loves to over-inflate the individual star and with CR7’s only potential peer, Lionel Messi, now set to go home early, the television talking heads are only going to sensationalize the superstar further.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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