Notes on a Dying Star

On Cristiano Ronaldo and his red giant phase.

Mar 18, 2021

By the time Cristiano Ronaldo put home his third goal, a far post strike with his left foot, it was already clear that this was a “statement” match for the Portuguese winger, even before he ran up to the camera on the sideline, pulling his face into a grimace and pointing at his ear.

ESPN FC @ESPNFC

FIRST HALF HAT TRICK FROM CRISTIANO RONALDO 🔥🔥🔥

And it’s a clear enough message he was trying to send, as well: what was that you said? Can’t hear you.

By this time, every single person reading this piece will have a fully-formed and mostly-immovable opinion on Cristiano Ronaldo. He has earned all of it: the greatest ever conversations, the vitriol from all corners of the internet. And then there is the other argument, that the credible sexual assault allegations against him negate anything and everything he does on the field.

Cristiano Ronaldo would like the world to know that he does not care what you say about him. Or, at least, he desperately wants you to think that, when the mere act of celebrating by pointing to his ear, and to his critics, suggest a far different picture. A man seemingly obsessed with perfection in all facets of his life, I’m willing to bet that Ronaldo cares what you think about him more than most people would. Because his star is fading. He knows it, and everyone else knows it, too. The nature of time being what it is, and athletes in this sport what they are, Ronaldo’s days at the top are numbered. You just might not realize it, looking at him.

A very brief science lesson from someone who last took a science class in 2009: as stars grow old, and begin to quite literally burn out, their hydrogen stores depleted and the star beginning to produce heat and energy from outside its core, they get big, and sometimes, even brighter than they were as a young star. These stars are called Red Giants, and it’s a very literal title. Their glow becomes reddish and the star swells drastically in size. Our own sun is still a relatively young star, but theories of its eventual red giant phase see the sun growing large enough to engulf the orbits of Mercury and Venus. When the dying red giant star reaches the extent of its ability to create thermonuclear fusion, usually one of two things happens: it retracts into the form of a white dwarf star, tiny and cool compared to the massive ball of fire it once was. Or it creates a supernova, and explodes.

It’s difficult to feel we’re not approaching the end of the Messi/Ronaldo era in the men’s game. Both stars, ageless in their expansion of our understanding of what players their age can do, but aging all the same, are out of the Champions League before the quarterfinals even kick off. Messi, a few years younger than his counterpart and in the midst of cataclysmic change at Barcelona, will most likely still have his legitimate shots at more Champions League crowns and another Ballon d’Or or two. Ronaldo, however, feels a little different. Something in the way he attempts to address criticism specifically levied at him for his Champions League finishes with Juventus by beating up on Cagliari feels like a dying star, swelling and heating up even as it draws to a close.

Juventus bought Ronaldo to win the Champions League. Full stop. They were already drowning in Serie A titles. They were already making it to Champions League finals. Juve had success and trophies and recognition. But they couldn’t make it over that final hump and claim to be the best club in the world. And buying the most successful Champions League player in the modern era seems like a very reasonable way to address that final hurdle. But they haven’t won with him. They haven’t even made it to the final with him, unless you’re counting the 2017 final, in which he scored a brace against Juve to help Real Madrid lift the cup once again. Is that all Ronaldo’s fault? No. It’s a team sport, after all, and Ronaldo’s personal scoring records and play have still been great for Juventus. Does it affect his legacy? Absolutely. Take one look at people discussing Lionel Messi’s lack of an international trophy. And this year, his Champions League legacy will be this photo.

Samuel the spec💪 @samib_y

Cristiano Ronaldo world class wall It passed his toro😂 Can never be my G.O.A.T #Juventus #Porto #CristianoRonaldo

Ronaldo could score 15 goals in the first half against Cagliari, currently sitting in the relegation zone, and it wouldn’t erase Juve’s failure to get things done against FC Porto. And Ronaldo in this photo is the avatar of that failure: back turned completely to the ball, leg swung out, ball going beneath him and right through the crumbled wall.

But there is still the urgent, desperate need from Ronaldo to continue to prop himself up, to prove himself, to show everyone that he is still the best in the world at 36 years old, and so you get performances like the one from last weekend. Huge returns from the lowest stakes. The red giant burning massive and bright as it tries to stave off its own collapse.

Ronaldo has already done much to obliterate what it looks like when the best players in the world descend from the peak of their abilities. He is still playing for one of the best teams in the world, still scoring oodles of goals, and doing things most other players would tweak a hamstring just thinking about doing at his age. He’s not simply taking a paycheck to turn MLS or Qatar or the Chinese Super League into the And1 Mixtape Tour. He’s still competing at the highest level, and he’s still one of the best players in the world at the highest level.

But Ronaldo’s time at the top is done. If he wins another Champions League title, he won’t be the most important player on his team. He won’t win another Ballon d’Or, barring some ludicrous season or Portugal pulling a rabbit out of a hat in another major tournament. It’s just that, usually, we’re used to players fading out slowly and surely. I don’t think that happens with Ronaldo. He’ll keep scoring. He’ll keep producing jaw-dropping highlights. He’ll continue being the self-mythologized entity he continues to build himself up as.

Until one day, he simply either vanishes, or explodes.