Vladislav Voronin - about the Portuguese legend.
For the first time, Ronaldo tore up the Otkritie Arena 45 minutes before the match - one close-up on the screen was enough. Cristiano was simply walking through the stands in a training T-shirt, and the first rows had already taken out their smartphones to film the great man. And everyone screamed.
Ronaldo ran out to warm up first among the Portuguese and immediately separated from the team. While the others were slowly passing the ball, he carefully threw the ball into the empty goal and casually greeted the stands. One with a quick wave of the hand, the other with a raised thumb.
Ronaldo's loneliness lasted about 5 minutes - until the physical training coach gathered the team for stretching. Cristiano ran up last, clapped his teammates encouragingly, and then fist bumped with each of them. So there is no egoism - it’s just immediately clear who is the boss in the team.
Cristiano walked out to the match hand in hand with a 10-year-old girl, Polina Khaeredinova, who is wheelchair-bound and lives in a foster family. She got to the stadium through the McDonald's program: it sponsors the Confederations Cup and the World Cup and can choose the children who take the players to the matches.
Polina has been collaborating with the Ronald McDonald Foundation for a long time: she voiced one of the commercials, and during the 2014 Olympics, together with Dmitry Chernyshenko and the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, she opened a children's playground in Sochi, where special children can play on an equal basis with healthy ones.
“Polina was asked a long time ago who she would like to bring onto the field before the match - Akinfeev or Cristiano? – The youngest son, who plays football, said that we will see Akinfeev again, but whether we will see Ronaldo again is unknown. Polina had doubts, said that she was rooting for our people, that she was a patriot... And yet she chose Ronaldo.”
Already on the field, Polina gave Cristiano a bracelet in the colors of the flag of Portugal, which she had woven from beads the day before.
“Polina wanted to give Ronald a bracelet with the Russian flag, and keep the Portuguese one for herself - as a sign of friendship and support,” noted her mother. “But before the match, she was dissuaded from this, explaining that athletes may have their own rules, and taking the symbols of an opponent is often a bad sign.”
Having received an unexpected gift, Ronaldo leaned over several times with gratitude, stroked Polina on the head and even kissed her on the forehead.
“Before the match, Cristiano was not in a good mood,” continued Olga Naumova. “When they told him that he would go onto the field with a girl in a wheelchair, he didn’t exactly refuse, but he didn’t say: “Yes, of course.” He was a little cool about it because he was clearly under stress before the game. And when we were almost changing, he saw Polina, who was smiling at him. Cristiano’s face immediately changed – he blossomed, leaned towards her, said a few words, and hugged her. On the field, Ronaldo was completely relaxed and smiling.”
The best moment happened a little later. At the last lines of the Russian anthem, Ronaldo took off his training jacket and put it on Polina’s lap - like a gift. In order not to write the words “glad” and “happy”, we would rather show Polina’s real emotions from this story.
Posted by Polina Khaeredinova (@khaeredinova) Jun 21, 2017 at 8:25 PDT
“I didn’t expect it to be so great, and Cristiano Ronaldo is wonderful! He gave me his jacket and kissed me for good luck. I found myself in the very center of incredible emotions, rooting for Russia. I’ve never experienced anything like this,” said Polina.
Now she receives personal messages on Instagram with an offer to sell a sweater. Fans of Cristiano Ronaldo directly ask how much money is needed, but the family refuses: “We won’t sell it under any circumstances, we’ll keep it as a souvenir.”
“Polina doesn’t walk, so there are few such interesting moments in our lives,” says my mother. “The life of a child who cannot walk is limited, especially in Russia, so the opportunity to go to such an event is pure delight.”
On the night from Wednesday to Thursday, Polina went to bed with Cristiano's jacket.
Almost no one noticed this, but it was Ronaldo who built the attack from scratch, after which the winning goal was scored.
Rui Patricio was in no hurry to put the ball in (this was preceded by a successful play on the way out), but it was Ronaldo who noticed the free zone on the right flank and, with very energetic, sweeping hand movements, demanded that the ball be given to him urgently. Then he easily fooled Fyodor Kudryashov with an elegant feint, threw the ball further, ran into the penalty area and scored.
This was his attack.
When it was announced around the stadium that Ronaldo had scored the goal, the stadium still couldn’t decide what to do – whether to admire or be indignant. The result was a strange mixture of squealing and whistling, and Ronaldo raised his hand up - as if to show that he did not want to offend anyone. It’s just his job to destroy everyone around him.
If you think Ronaldo is arrogant, narcissistic and selfish, then try to get to his match before he retires. You will immediately understand that in fact he is just a scary monster.
As much as he yells at Andre Silva, who could not read the plan and open up for a pass (it looked like pure education), he is just as much aware of responsibility when he himself does something wrong. He hit from afar badly and too early - he apologized to everyone with a gesture. He didn’t finish a great serve and smacked himself on the thigh.
Narcissists don’t react this way – they look around for people to blame. And Ronaldo knows he is wrong.
The scandal with taxes and a possible departure from Real Madrid silenced Cristiano. He does not respond to questions from journalists at all - even at a press conference after being recognized as the best player of the match, he himself said everything he considered necessary and left.
In the tribune room, Ronaldo reacted to only one phrase.
– Hala Madrid! – the blond girl shouted.
Cristiano slowed down. Then he smiled, repeated “Hala Madrid” and extended his palm towards him to hit five.
The girl turned out to be a real volunteer of the Confederations Cup and introduced herself as Ulyana from Murmansk. In order to shout something to Ronaldo, she had to ask her superiors for time off.
– I’m very happy because I’ve been a Real Madrid fan for a very long time, and Cristiano is one of my favorite players. Seeing him so close and getting a positive reaction is very cool, especially now when everyone is afraid that he might leave the club. The fact that he reacted this way gives hope that he will still stay. I was specially preparing myself to shout this, I was worried.
– What will you do with your hand?
– It would be advisable to laminate the hand, but it’s unlikely to work. I will tell everyone, I think it will be one of the most vivid impressions of my life.
That's what they say only about legends.
Photo: RIA Novosti / Grigory Sysoev, Alexander Vilf; /John Sibley; Global Look Press /Dmitry Golubovich/Global Look Press
Polina Khaeredinova's adoptive mother said that the girl had long been asked who she would like to take to the field - Igor Akinfeev or Cristiano Ronaldo. After much deliberation, she chose the Portuguese.
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“The youngest son, who plays football, said that we will see Akinfeev again, but whether we will see Ronaldo again is unknown,” Sports.ru quotes Olga Naumova. “Polina doubted it, said that she was rooting for ours, that she was a patriot. And that’s all “I finally chose Ronaldo.”
The girl gave the athlete a bracelet in the colors of the flag of Portugal, which she wove herself. The touched football player stroked her head and even kissed her.
0 June 22, 2017, 11:25Posted by Polina Khaeredinova (@khaeredinova) Jun 21, 2017 at 8:31 PDT
Having learned that he would take to the field accompanied by a disabled child, Ronaldo reacted “a little coolly” to this, Naumova noted. She suggested that the reason for this reaction was the tension before the game.
“And when we were almost changing, he saw Polina, who was smiling at him. Cristiano’s face immediately changed - he blossomed, leaned towards her, said a few words, hugged her,” said Khaeredinova’s mother. “On the field, Ronaldo has already completely relaxed,” she added.
During the last lines of the Russian anthem, the Portuguese took off his training jacket and placed it on Polina’s lap as a gift. Of course, she was happy.
Posted by Polina Khaeredinova (@khaeredinova) Jun 21, 2017 at 8:25 PDT
Compatriots were touched by this story. “Kind people are always strong. And vice versa. And a training T-shirt will always remind you of meeting a kind and strong person like you”, “Very inspiring story! Happiness to all of you!”, “Very cool! Well done! positive – I’m even recharged! I’m happy for you! Live this moment more often, and you’ll have more such positive experiences in the future!” – Internet users commented on Polina’s photos from the match.
Yesterday, June 21, Russia and Portugal took place in Moscow as part of the 2017 Confederations Cup (the eighth football tournament among national teams held under the auspices of FIFA). Unfortunately, it was not our athletes who won, but absolutely everyone enjoyed the game.
Attention, it is worth noting, this evening was focused not only on the ball on the field, but also on the Portuguese captain, a world football star, who gave several reasons to discuss his person.
Dating a disabled girl
Even before the start of the game, Cristiano Ronaldo made everyone talk about himself: the athlete came out onto the lawn holding the hand of a 10-year-old girl in a wheelchair, Polina Khaeredinova, to whom he gave his jacket and kissed.
I didn't expect it to be so great, and Cristiano Ronaldo is wonderful! He gave me his jacket and kissed me for good luck. I found myself in the very center of incredible emotions, rooting for Russia! I've never experienced anything like this!
— Polina shared afterwards.
The appearance of athletes on the field with children is a long-standing tradition. Before the start of any World Cup or major tournament, elections take place for children who lead world football stars by the hand. However, for the first time in the history of FIFA tournaments, a football player entered the game together with a child with disabilities.
This moment undoubtedly became one of the most memorable of the entire evening - the audience was touched by such a tender attitude of the football legend towards a girl in a wheelchair.
Goal against the Russian national team
And although they were waiting for Ronaldo in Moscow (you can’t argue with the beautiful and professional performance of a football player!) none of the Russian fans were happy about the goal he scored against our team in the 8th minute.
We knew that we had a difficult game against a good team and prepared seriously. I'm very happy because Portugal won in Russia for the first time!
— the captain of the Portuguese national team, who scored his 75th goal as a member of the national team, shared during a press conference.
Man of the Match award from Fyodor Bondarchuk
Having scored the only goal in the Russia-Portugal match, Cristiano Ronaldo became the best player of the meeting. The football player received the prestigious Man of the Match trophy from the hands of the director, actor and producer.
As a filmmaker, I know first-hand how valuable the People's Choice Award is, and I understand how much effort Cristiano Ronaldo had to put in to win the Man of the Match award. It’s great that feedback is perfectly organized at the FIFA Confederations Cup and that everyone has the opportunity to vote for their favorite player, thereby rewarding him for his enjoyment of the match,
- Bondarchuk said.
Photo Gettyimages.ru
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