ronaldo

Again at the bar. It's half-time of Mexico-Uruguay, and Ronaldo's ad, with a giant statue of him in a Portuguese town, flashes on the tv.
"I hate that guy," says the bartender, and all nod.
The animosity is not related to his game, which is dazzling, nor his triumphs. It’s his misses, or more to the point, his theatrics afterwards.
When his shots hit the post or are deflected by the goalie, Ronaldo hates the universe. He lifts his head in contempt as if he'd done everything perfectly until fate intervened – the gods are against him!
Tiger Woods shows a similar attitude when the golf ball disobeys. Both he and Ronaldo seem to enjoy themselves little when competing.
Against North Korea though, Ronaldo was a different player. He smiled as his teammates scored five times for Portugal, and in the end the universe rewarded him with his first goal in this World Cup. The ball rolled down his neck, found his foot, and then the net.