At some point in every superstar’s life they were normal. It’s hard to imagine that someone so perfect, so often worshipped by society as an example of what we should be, could ever be normal. With being normal comes doubts and insecurities, timidity and apprehension. Maybe that’s why people so often dream about their own ascension into stardom, because it’s so hard to believe.
Every superstar, every legend, every person worth looking up to who has ever lived had a moment in their lives when they realized that they were different, and accepted it. What could that have been like? What was it like for a president to realize that he was worthy of leading a nation? What was it like for a pop sensation to realize that they have a sound that can reach billions of people? What was it like for Cristiano Ronaldo to step out onto the pitch and finally realize that he’s not just good, he’s exceptional?
The answer to that last question, or at least part of it, is what is given to us by Cristiano Ronaldo in an interview with UNSCRIPTD. In it, Ronaldo describes his first training session with Sporting Lisbon: the club he moved to when he was 11-years-old. The move was his first in a series of three major transfers he would go through during his career, and it would prove to be prophetic in its success.
"I was 11," Ronaldo said. "I remember when I was in Madeira and Sporting Lisbon said, 'Listen, we want to see you better. You should come to Lisbon because we want to observe you.'
"And I remember my first training I did something and the players looked at me like 'Woah, can you do it again?' Even the coach! A step-over and I scored a goal.
"And after training I did some tricks with the balls. Since the beginning I could see this was easy for me, but for the other guys very complicated. The people were so excited when they saw me. It was cool, as I felt so proud, so big, that people appreciated my talent."
Knowing Cristiano Ronaldo, we should have known that he would not drown us with prose or the dramatic. He doesn’t need to. Perhaps the most striking thing about Ronaldo’s realization of how good he really was is the calmness with which it seems to have come: he performed exceptionally well, everyone around him was impressed, and he not only accepted it but realized it made him feel good about himself.
This simplified story of discovery goes against what Hollywood (and perhaps our dreams) tells us discovering immense ability will be like. He felt good about himself, special, but he didn’t suddenly have a vision of what the future held, or start glowing with some sort of magnificent aura. His fellow teammates were shocked, his coaches were shocked, but he wasn’t all of the sudden spirited away to an underground facility where the Portuguese government was assembling the best football team in the galaxy in order to play a match against vile aliens for the fate of the galaxy (hey, let’s not judge dreams right now). If there were butterflies in Ronaldo’s chest, we’ll never know. If it was meant to be doesn’t matter. It just happened.
What makes it real is its simplicity. What makes it amazing is that it’s Cristinao Ronaldo, a player who, were it not for Lionel Messi, would have won 8 straight Ballon d’Ors.
At Sporting, Ronaldo began to grow into the Ronaldo we know today. His ability to impress did not diminish after that day on the training ground at age 11. Years later, Ronaldo suited up for Sporting against Manchester United in a friendly in 2003 and helped defeat the Red Devils 3-1. His performance that day was so sensational that Manchester United’s players themselves asked legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson to sign him. Ferguson did. In Ronaldo’s first game with United, he was the catalyst behind a 4-0 win over Bolton. By the end of the game he had the commentators purring over him, “dear me, he’s got it all.”
Ronaldo was praised by a legendary player in his first year at United. George Best, one of the greatest British players to ever play the game and a former United legend, said that “there have been a few players described as ‘the new George Best’ over the years, but this is the first time it's been a compliment to me." It can’t be overstated that Best said this about Ronaldo when Ronaldo was 18.
Seeing Ronaldo’s greatness today might diminish just how amazing he really is. We see him score 50 goals a year and it’s accepted as par for the course. We see him win back to back Ballon d’Ors and all we can think of is Lionel Messi’s 4 (Sorry, 5). We see his cars, his houses, his girlfriends, and we can’t help but say to ourselves, “of course.” What we forget is that at some point in his life Ronaldo was just another kid.
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Ronaldo’s realization of his talent at the age of 11 is a reminder to us all that the biggest of things have humble beginnings. There doesn’t have to be fanfare or spectacle. There is no need for someone to come down from above and anoint us as “next” or “the one.” No, sometimes all it takes is a moment and a feeling.
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