“The mature players, the older players, they can always help the young players. But I can give an example. If I give you advice, even if you are younger than me, if you don’t implant that during your daily life, it will be difficult.
“But other people, they don’t accept that, if you criticise them. I don’t say this in relation to our players, but in general. I have kids. I know.”
Sound words of guidance, from any point of view. The same advice that Cristiano Ronaldo had given to Manchester United’s stable of young players in a surprisingly forthright interview in January, supposed words of wisdom from an elder statesman that would now ring hollow with irony.
Ronaldo had then been preoccupied with stressing the importance of self-improvement and the need to cultivate a professional mind-set and to maintain a posture of maturity at all times on and off the pitch. Sadly, it wouldn’t be off the mark to say that no one at United this season has behaved more immaturely than the 37-year-old prima donna himself.
Apart from the 18 goals he has scored this season, numerous were the occasions when the Portuguese striker stormed down the tunnel at full time in a right royal fit or just sat and sulked like a brat after being substituted, as he did at Brentford in January just days after his Sky Sports interview.
There was also the time when he missed the Manchester derby, shrouded in fishy circumstances last month, where United’s famed No 7 did not even bother to turn up.
But nothing compares to the moment at Everton on Saturday when Ronaldo slapped a mobile phone out of the hand of a 14-year-old autistic boy as he left the pitch following United’s 1-0 defeat.
According to his mother, Jacob Harding has been left severely shaken and with a bruised hand, not to mention the damage to his phone.
His crime was to point the camera at a cut on Ronaldo’s left leg. The player’s crime was an inexcusable over-reaction that is now the subject of a police investigation and an FA probe, despite his attempts to apologise over the weekend.
Merseyside Police confirmed on Monday that they have contacted the family and Everton as part of their inquiry.
‘The matter is under investigation and we are gathering information. Our enquiries remain ongoing at this time,’ a statement said.
It would be interesting to see how the Portuguese maestro would be able to justify his petulant behavior at Goodison and try to square that off with the honorable intentions of a celebrated football idol offering invaluable advice to United’s younger players. Like himself said in trying to push forward his argument then, he has kids — four so far, with another set of twins on the way. He knows, or so he said then.
What had happened at Everton were certainly not the actions befitting a 37-year-old man who is supposed to be a role model to millions around the globe. And was this supposed to be one of the glorious outcomes after he had received a hero’s homecoming at United last summer? After all, did he not come back to be a savior and not a petulant prima donna?
It wouldn’t perhaps be off the mark to surmise that Saturday’s ugly incident actually had very little to do with Jacob Harding and everything to do with the frustration that has long gripped Ronaldo regarding the paralysis impacting the club that he had once achieved so much with in his first tenure there. And on Saturday he just couldn’t keep his emotions in check anymore and an innocent teenage boy was unfortunate enough to be in the way of the idol and role model of millions. All this just goes to show that even the five-time Ballon d’Or winner cannot use his waning powers to stop the rot.
Regardless of whatever the reasons may be, nothing could possibly excuse what happened at Goodison Park. The police and FA will complete their enquiries and Ronaldo will have to accept any consequences that come his way.
Hopefully this shameful incident will teach him to think twice before offering pearls of wisdom to the younger generations again.