🚨 "For me, Cristiano is the GOAT"..
🇲🇽🗣 Javier Hernández Balcázar (Chicharito) on Cristiano Ronaldo's International retirement:
I" saw someone talking about the comparisons being made, and he said something truly amazing about Cristiano.
If you look at some players as mere art or entertainment, that's fine.
But if you're looking for someone who inspires you every day to pursue your dreams through dedication, resilience, perseverance, and hard work, then it goes beyond mere talent.
We often talk about Cristiano Ronaldo's discipline and professionalism, but we sometimes overlook the immense talent he possesses.
He scored goals from every angle and in every way imaginable.
Having played alongside him as a teammate and against him as an opponent, I faced him in the Champions League, I think in the quarter-finals or semi-finals, when he was with Real Madrid under Mourinho.
I can say that he is an icon, even a legend.
For me, he is the Greatest of all time. The Launch..
The way he's managed his career is truly unique.
I don't think any other footballer has faced such intense scrutiny, or had so many people wishing for his downfall, and yet he keeps going without stopping.
He's the Greatest of all time.
His retirement announcement seems very significant; Portugal with Cristiano is completely different from the team without him, like two entirely different worlds.
We'll wait to see him reach his 1,000th career goal, and hopefully it will happen soon.
He'll continue playing for now, but this really reminds us of the passage of time.
Everything in life, and in everyone's career, has an end."
You will think Pep Guardiola is a master strategist till you fall in love.
You will think you’re the one who toasted your woman but if you deep it, she don use Pep tactics for you.
🇦🇷🗣️ Jorge Valdano (former Argentina player and coach) in a previous statement on Roberto Martínez's decision to keep Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal's World Cup squad:
"Cristiano Ronaldo's career has earned him every privilege in the world.
If I were the coach, I wouldn't touch him.
If he's going to play for the national team, he should be untouchable. That's a privilege he has earned.
Thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese football has taken a giant leap forward, and we must recognise that not only with words, but with actions."
“If I am worth anything later, I am worth something now. For wheat is wheat, even if people think it is a grass in the beginning.” Van Gogh
Your value is inherent
We’re discussing global cultural impact, not just sporting fame. Jordan transcended basketball into fashion, music and streetwear. Ronaldo is globally famous, but sporting popularity and wider cultural influence aren’t the same thing.
First, what I said: "what has CR7 done in his life (not sports career) that will resonate with ordinary, non-sports lovers 30 years from now? I can't think of anything. At all."
Second: the things that elevate someone from being massively popular to being a certain level of icon are well known to ordinary people, not just fans of a sport or venture. And that's the point. In 30 years, will these acts/achievements have been so influential that it will be common knowledge?
Example #2:
Dolly Parton vs Taylor Swift: We knew Dolly was an icon 20 years before she died this year because of her influence BEYOND just the music. Taylor is massively popular, but we dare not put her in the same iconic league as Dolly. Beyoncé, yes, because her cultural influence beyond music puts her in that league.
Example #3: Kanye West/Jay Z are bigger icons than Nas, Drake and Kendrick. Again, bigger cultural footprint.
Example #4: Michael Jordan's shoes were created in 1984. Today, in 2026, the kids of those who first wore them still wear Jordans. Add that to MJ's own sports popularity and we can say that he is probably a bigger icon than CR7, who has little in his cultural CV to rival that at the moment.
Put Jordan's shoes on a billboard anywhere in the world, it will be recognised. Put any of CR7's commercial properties (perfumes, boxers, Herbalife etc) in most corners of the world... you won't get same reaction.
Example #5:
CR7 himself is a faaaaaaaar bigger icon than Messi, who is a 🐐 football icon but has barely any cultural aura to transcend sports.
There are levels to what kind of icon people are. Just my 2-by-4 opinions though lol.
Just started watching Succession and realising that wealthy people must find the excessive glazing from people seeking proximity to their wealth incredibly irritating. 🤣🤣🤣