10/16/2023
CRISTIANO RONALDO: TALENTED OR HARDWORKING?
Talent is something natural, something that's inborn which people are capable of doing without needing any training but hard-work on the other hand is something one develop by putting effort, hard-work can never become talent but hard-work can improve talent, as a result to reach one's full potential talent is not enough but combining natural talent with hard-work to reach the very top.
Over the years especially after Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid, the media, some great football icons and Messi fans has always being trying to portray Messi as someone born with the ball, simply as someone naturally talented and taking a dig at Cristiano Ronaldo that He's not a talented football player but all what He has achieve and what He does are nothing but the product of his hardworking.
During Manchester United pre-season game in 2003 against Sporting CP, Sir Alex Ferguson brief his players just before heading into the game that fateful day saying "they've a very good kid in their team, watch-out for him.", In the aftermath of the game, Danny Pugh who didn't start for Manchester United that day reveal what happens in the Manchester United bench "The first time he picked up the ball, he did a bit of skill, beat a player and all of us on the bench sat up together and took notice,... Someone said, 'This must be the lad the manager was talking about.'...He was there to put on a show. Every time he got the ball, he wanted to do something, he had so much belief. He was still quite slight then, but he had so much NATURAL talent. It was the way he carried the ball and skipped past players."
After the game that fateful day, Manchester United players and Alex Ferguson witnessing a young talented player couldn't let go of him but were finally able to convince and lure the NATURAL talented Cristiano Ronaldo to their team that season and the rest as they say is history.
Before I proceed, when it comes to judging an attacker to be talented, one thing is majorly being considered, which are his dribbling abilities, dribbling stats and the likes, taking players like JAY JAY OKOCHA and RONALDINHO for example, in their days they're considered as unplayable and the most talented footballers not because of their goal scoring abilities but because of their dribbling skills, dribbling stats and abilities and the same criteria are still being used these days.
Cristiano Ronaldo in his early days is known for being a flashy winger who can pull various tricks and dribbling skills reminisce to those of the two aforementioned football legends, in the premier league no player record more dribbles than CRISTIANO RONALDO, even in overall stats, Cristiano is one of the best dribblers in Europe but his goal scoring abilities are not something much to talk about and in FOOTBALL goals are what win you games and help you massively to be considered as the best player of the year.
In the 2007/08 season we'll be witnessing a completely different player as Cristiano Ronaldo not only showcase himself as a dribbling king but ended up scoring a record 31 ⚽ in Premier league, a record for the best goal scorer in a single Premier league season at that time and also ended up as the Champions League top scorer, these improvement in this area is due to one thing, HE no longer rely on his NATURAL TALENT alone, Cristiano after that season though seems to reduce his dribbling but He became more of a goal scorer than an entertainer after 2011/12 season which is quite understandable, the injury He got at that time which could have ended some players career but Cristiano adapted to everything and changed his game to become more of a deadly and formidable scorer with glimpses of his dribbling abilities.
Is Cristiano a talented player or He's just a hard worker?
Firstly He's a talented player but couldn't have reach his peak without hard-work
Cristiano Ronaldo could have not achieve much like many talented footballers who through over-reliance on their natural abilities have failed to fulfill all their potentials, to sum everything up on Ronaldo being a combination of talent and hard-work, in 2016, freetakerz interviewed him on what is the relationship between talent and hard-work and how to become the best player, Cristiano replying as this to say, "Talent...If you have no talent you might as well forget about it. But of course, if you are talented and you decide to work hard as well you will become a much better player."
I put it this way, hard-work is GOOD, talent is BETTER but talent and hard-work is the BEST, Hard-work cannot beat natural talent but without hard-work one cannot get to the peak.
IS MESSI JUST ONLY TALENT AS THEY OFTEN WANT TO PORTRAY?
No, Messi is talented but didn't get where He's today by talent alone, as He once revealed the secret of his success "I start early and stay late, day after day after day, year after year, it took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success" - MESSI
Messi like Ronaldo is also a combo of talent and hard-work and not what the media and Messi fans are always trying to portray.
Over-reliance on talent alone will get one no where but knowing the treasure first is key and developing them to yield more returns as the scriptures clearly puts it:
"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 25:14-30)
Over the years, Ronaldo and Messi has being taking all the glory in football, the one who have will be given more, the one who doesn't hide his talent by putting hard-work will gain more but the one who just rely on his talent alone will not go far, I wouldn't mention any name of people who should have being in the top who over-reliance on talent prevent from reaching their full potential.
Finally, I have these words from the greatest footballer of all-time, Cristiano Ronaldo who during the globe soccer award presentation night in 2020 where he was named as the best player of the last twenty years running from 2000-2020 was asked by a journalist what He's leaving behind the young and ambitious one, in which He reply with a simple comment "TALENT WITHOUT WORK IS NOTHING."
Don't let your TALENT deceive you, put in the HARD-WORK if you desire to fulfill your potentials.
