“Disrespectful, arrogant, weed, Alexandra, leather jacket! The audacity! Who do you think you are? You are so forward”. Thank you so much for your projections and stereotypes. Funny how I am reduced to a few words, an attempt to marginalize and control me. I’ve reached the ceiling and breaking out is the next step but to keep me grounded is the plan. I have become too big for my shoes and the plan is to keep me barefoot. Cause if I realize my worth and get new shoes it exposes their raggedy shoes. “Stop being so brilliant, you exposing us! Keep it down, slow down, dim down the shine, fly lower, don’t forget where you come from, Little Alexandra kid”.
Arrogant, weed, Alexandra, Leather Jacket, you are nothing without me, I made you! Made who? The entitlement! If you made me, make another me. Move out of my way, you are a hindrance. Stop searching for relevance you are a fossil. The leather jacket is a staple of who I am. I smoke chronic and I live in Gomora. I am arrogant because I know my worth and you need audacity to be successful. Disrespectful? Only when it suits you? Being older doesn’t hand you privileges. Respect is a two-way street. Why should I respect you when you don’t respect me? You marginalize me to keep me beta. Stick holes through my confidence with knife edged words to affect my frame and string me along like it’s a game. But you are so lame. I’ve met people like you and you all the same. Plagued by insecurities and the need to always be on top. Penis envy has you contemplating penetration but it’s the womb that starts a nation. You hate me and my leather jacket because I have a dick! You are blocking the path, get out of my way, you are slowing me down! Success and fortune is ahead, I’ll never stop until I am ahead cause I’m disrespectful, arrogant, smoke weed, from Alexandra, forward cause I am the future and wear a black leather jacket like a character from ‘The Sopranos’. Screw you, your words don’t affect me. I am going to do and be everything I want and nothing is going to stop me. I am the best, I am the greatest. If you insist on being an obstacle then I’ll make you the way, I’ll smash right through you. You try to break me down because you are intimidated by me. You assign labels because it gives you a grip. You are frightened by me and my leather jacket. In the end the little kid from Alexandra will have it all.
I am a cool guy, I ain’t got beef with anyone. I serve up what you give out. If you treat me good and with respect you’ll receive that a thousand fold, but if you an asshole I am happy to dish out shit. No excuses, no privileges, control yourself. I am a pro at your passive aggressive antics – what? Did you honestly think that you were smarter than everybody else? Funny guy, out of sync, you ain’t shit. I see through disguises too, masks can’t fool real eyes. If you want beef I am happy to serve it on a platter. If you organizing a hit, make sure it sticks cause if you botch it, I am coming for your soul. I am tired of being humble, I am the greatest of all time, come close and I’ll show you, anytime, any place. Receipts, receipts, receipts I am happy to reflect your tastes. If you want a battle, I am happy to oppose you. Words don’t count, it’s your actions that are gold. I am a fucked up person too and I am ready to exercise my repressions. Receipts, apologies don’t mean much prepare yourself for my comeback. I hold grudges, I never forget and I am coming for your ass. Receipts, don’t start wars you can’t finish. No negotiations, no treaties, everything will end up in fire and smoke. Cause I don’t give a shit, I am narcissistic, grandiose, egotistic, irrational and envious, so please give me an opportunity to exercise my nature. Receipts, cross the line please, I am begging you! Disrespect me, slander me, make me the scapegoat and I’ll show you why I am the goat. Receipts, receipts, receipts you on an imaginary pedestal, time to take you down and humble ya. Receipts, cause I also don’t care, I am after power, I am merely a reflection of you.
J. Cole apologized for a reason, you don’t want beef with Kendrick Lamar, he is brutal, real life not AI and he will end you. Step to the side brother Jermaine, you are exempted from this slaughterhouse, be a fan like the rest of us and enjoy this from the comfort of your house. To the Rap Gods, we thank you for this gift, bars on bars we are appreciative of this gift. Kendrick, his a menace, he just caused a shift, hip-hop was on snooze, the game needed a lift. So much much for the Taylor shots, Drake was too swift. Damn! We said Kendrick needed a Hit em up kinda response and he topped that with that response. No pun intended, he PGLang now and there was nothing PG about that response. The runtime is six minutes, the beat changes 3 times. He starts off calm and mellow, beat soulful and voice low, then the beat changes and intensifies, you thought he was zen but hell no, the grim reaper is about to take souls. I get the feeling he hates Drake, something about his mannerisms, how he dresses, how he walks and how he sneak dissing on his songs. Kendrick asks an important question, namely is he battling AI or ghosts. I don’t think he was too impressed with Drake imitating a ghost. He went out of his way to be a visitor when he was the host. The type of things that will be exposed by a goat. I am ashamed to have conceded that Drake has my vote. Kendrick ripped him apart, called his use of the “n-word” cringeworthy and disbarred him from ever using the “n-word”. He revisited the Pusha T beef that Drake had to take the L in and covered how he hates women. He further assassinated his character and destroyed his reputation. He communicated he likes back-to-back and he’ll come back to that. I don’t think his done, his about to go back-to-back. Somebody should stop him, it’s a bloodbath, he killed him, it’s done. On a random Tuesday for that matter, Lord have mercy. Drizzy could respond but he has been rebuked, AI won’t do it, he needs an atomic bomb, something like Hiroshima to burn this bitch to a crisp. I don’t he has that, he’ll bite his lips and get a lisp. Kendrick will bury him and all his ghostwriters on the list. There we go again, me judging based on a singular angle rather waiting to see the broader picture. Good luck “Drizzy” Drake. Hip-hop is great again and I am feeling euphoric. Kendrick Lamar is a blessing for the culture – such euphoria.
Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns on my socials for years and there’s still some confusion about my position in the mortality spectrum. I do whatever to win! I thought my position was clear when I stated that ‘I am on a heel turn’. I despise purity because it’s pretentious, disguised and filthy. It’s the pure ones that do all the manipulating, they have learned to camouflage themselves with the consensus of the majority while aligning themselves with virtues that seem righteous but are two-faced like a coin and leave much to the imagination. Hypocrites, they hide under the morality that plagues their existence. They are fakes, they smile in my face and start smear campaigns when my back is turned. I like the bad guys more, there’s no pretensions, anything can happen, things are out in the open and your life is in danger. There’s no mirrors, smokescreens and theatricalies, no need for passive aggressive antics, just the consciousness that if you get out of line, I am going to whack you. I don’t like the pure ones because they secretly yearn for power, it’s in their actions, their demeanor, the disguised sly commentary, passive aggressive behavior, the perceived innocence white as snow, the victim mentality and their righteous indignation. Meek is dangerous ask Gandi and the English. How can you trust an individual who has blood more pure than Christ? I wish human beings were good, saintly, creatures who lived on love and farted butterflies. But it’s not like that isn’t it? A dark side exists and people want what you have, violence and if you’re stubborn death is a means for reposition. How can someone be truly whole when they don’t acknowledge their dark side? To claim you are white as snow is to refute you’re black as death. Arrogance, do you think that you are a better human being than me? White privilege can’t save your soul. I don’t like the pure ones, they make me uncomfortable, everything is a show and their smiles are fake. Face drips off schadenfreude through their pores every time I have a bad day. Nah, I don’t like the pure ones, I prefer drunkards, wife-beaters, criminals and prostitutes, at least they are real, they don’t try to be what they are not, they are flawed, vulnerable, confused, human and roaming about a maze they didn’t create and attempting to survive. Psychopaths exist but they are a product of this maze so they have my compassion and understanding. All of life has my compassion and understanding. Existence is difficult, no one has the answers and we all are going to die. Why would you want to be Jesus Christ? Did you forget his best friend was Mary Magdalene? I’d rather call Saul.
What is good? What is bad? Cause when Walter White started cooking crystals to secure his family’s future I was with him. Life is not fair and sometimes it makes no sense at all. I mean what is the alternative? He has cancer and can’t afford to pay for Chemo because he works in a profession that doesn’t pay much. He is overqualified and his teaching job isn’t maximizing his talents. He has kids and has been diagnosed to live for a couple of months. Even if he reached into the family’s savings to pay for the Chemo, its not guaranteed that he’ll survive, cause what if he pays the 300K for the treatment and perishes anyways. What then? What about the kids? What about their futures? What about the house? The unsurmountable debt? No college fund, what about the kids dreams? No insurance, what about that safety net? Is that the legacy you want to leave for your family? Are you really going to leave behind your kids hungry, scrambling for survival, living off bread crumbs? What about your honor as a man? What about your pride? What is your use? You lived your whole life as an honest man, working to secure your family’s future and now cancer is wiping off your whole existence. Maybe you know of people who can pay off the treatment but is that a way to live? Being a charity case for people who screwed you over? People who built their empire on what you started and claimed it for themselves. It’s guilt money, a bribe, they are paying you off! Of course that’s not how they will present it because human beings are sophisticated creatures and theatricality is the order of the day. Maybe they do care and genuinely want you to beat the cancer but deep down you’ll know. You’ll feel the bondage and entitlement. Sure they stole your work to get to the top but they also saved your life, let’s face it, you owe them. How is that fair? You screw me over and still manage to get the last laugh. Nah fuck em! If I can do something to alter destiny then I will, even if it means cooking crystals. I am already on borrowed time, I am knowledgeable, I might as well go all out. This way at least I have a chance, I can procure the funds for the Chemo treatment, I can secure my family’s future, I can be useful, I can be a man, I can be proud of myself. It’s not like I am stealing the money, I’ll be earning it. I understand that drugs cause harm and death is a relative but what is the alternative? Give up to cancer and die? Leave my family broke, leave them with nothing except a memory. A memory that was stained by suffering and a prolonged death towards the end. Everything I do, I do because of my love for my family. What’s so bad about that? What’s the use of having the knowledge and not putting it to use? Laboring years for a system that rebukes you. What does “overqualified” even mean? Everyone else is flourishing as a result of their hard labor. Why can’t I be the best that I can be? What is ethics and morality in a Godless Universe? Everybody dies, time forgets and nothing matters in any case. You tell me, what is good, what is bad? Is your criteria subjective or objective? Cause if the people want crystals I am happy cooking it for them, we are adults with freewill and it will be the best, most purist crystal meth in the world.
You think you got a good wife but when the kitchen gets heated she dashes out and goes fucking her boss. After everything I’ve done for the family, after everything I’ve sacrificed. I did everything for the family, she doesn’t recognize that, she doesn’t acknowledge me. All she does is criticize, criticize and criticize. How I wish words were sufficient to make you see the broader picture. It’s like I’ve become an outsider, an enemy, she wants a divorce, she doesn’t love me anymore, it’s like we don’t have a history. Sure I lied but it was to protect you and the family. I wasn’t fucking random bitches, I was working to secure the family’s future. A man’s job is to provide and it has been that way since the beginning of time. How you gonna persecute me for doing what comes natural? Watching the show, I was disgusted with Walts wife Skylar, she abandoned him. She had a righteous aura about her, she judged Walt, she elevated herself above Walt. The balls on her to sleep with her boss. Walter Jr, is correct, she is a bitch! I mean sleeping with your boss to spite me, to get me to react, to get your way? That is devious, beyond Machiavellian. How is that morally justified? I cook crystals to secure the family’s future and you fuck your boss because you disagree with my methods? Where’s your loyalty? You made an oath to be by my side. Nobody’s perfect but how you gon consciously do that? Repeatedly at that! You don’t respect me. You don’t support me. You don’t want to see my perspective. Who made you God to judge over life like that? You are a bad person Skylar, an example of what a wife shouldn’t be. Fuck you too bitch, here are your divorce papers all signed, you got what you wanted I am leaving! Hope you choke on that assholes dick and die!
“Woah! Slow down big fella don’t make this personal”, I’ll try. The show made me emotional and my moral compass was tested. You might make a point for Skylar and suggest that she was only thinking about what was best for her and her family. When it comes to family self-preservation and survival triumphs all. Distancing yourself from a drug dealer is a good move as implications might lead to a difficult life. Stay and you are an accomplice, an accessory, a collaborator of all the crimes. Stay and everybody is a murderer cause you all enablers. Who wants to be on the front pages of morning papers and grace the tabloids columns? It’s disgraceful and worse you might lose everything you worked so hard to achieve. Good points but there’s holes, Skylar was already flirting with his boss before she found out the truth about Walt. It was just a matter of time before something metastasized. She just wanted an excuse to fuck him and she got one. Lines are blurred, I don’t know what is good and bad anymore but I do identify with the protagonist, that’s my nigga, I am with him, I understand. I progressed with him on his Arc. In my view good and bad is a matter of perspective, they are labels that don’t mean all that much – life goes on, we all make our choices and then they make us. Life is not black or white it’s far too complicated because we are complicated creatures who live in a world we don’t understand. There is no definite blueprint for a successful life and everybody is doing their best. Everybody in the show transgressed, everybody in the show is bad, everybody in the show is guilty. I salute the creator Vince Galligan and everyone involved with the show. The characters of the show are complex and troubled. How do you save somebody like Jesse when he believes in his heart that he is a bad guy. The criminals are super professional, have high levels of empathy, supremely intelligent and hide in plain view. Judge one of the characters and it reflects back at you, you feel like a hypocrite because you see yourself in their actions. It is an absolute masterclass, one of the greatest shows of all time. The acting is unbelievable and the writing superb. I was addicted to the show, I couldn’t stop watching. It is excellence. It gripped me, I loved it!
Throughout history tragedy has been an instrument that has shaped how we have lived our lives. It was tragedy that communicated how fragile our lives were actually are. It was tragedy that undressed our deepest anxieties, namely the fear of death. Tragedies said that we are confined in our mortal decaying bodies. It was a useful analogy. The Greeks were articulate at expressing this point – they would stage this in a form of dramas and people from all parts of life would come dressed in their best outfits to witness this spectacle on stage, mortality and death were dramatized. Fast forward a couple of years later and we have the news. The news are food for the amygdala! They are fear driven and they are effective because of that regard. They keep us glued to our screens, feeding us with our daily doses of chaos, destruction and deaths in a form of statistics. Stalin once stated one death is a tragedy but a million deaths a statistic, useful and thought-provoking sentiment in the context of the news. Are we sick for being so addicted to the news and all the anxieties and stress they bring? Partly, human beings are not perfect – in fact, we are extremely flawed. However, news are effective, the have a purpose, granted they are food for the amygdala but they connect us to our primitive sides – the will to survive. They remind us of the volatile nature of the world – the fact that nothing is guaranteed. The news are a home for human nature. The news are tragic! Because life is suffering, we need to be reminded of the tragic on a constant so that our internal structure and method of being is hardened. So that we don’t have passive minds and attempt to try the new every opportunity we get. Life is a gift, a celebration of some sort and we should live by embracing our talents. We get a limited time to do it and that’s suffering aspect of it but if we are true to ourselves, it can become an eternity. We shouldn’t be divorced from death, death is the catalyst, the driving force that should in actuality push us to the life we desire. Death is good, death is wonderful and as such we should be connected with it every time, remind ourselves of our mortality and strive to make the best of the limited time we have.
Death is the sublime! The consciousness that everything fades and everything is a lapse in time that will cease to exist. It is the realization that even the Universe is at the mercy of something bigger, that it too will be extinct like the dinosaurs and in the near future – like human beings. Death is the problem solver. Mothernatures way of refreshing things and keeping them moving. Death is inspiring, it is driven, motivated, determined, irrational, strong-willed and businesslike. Death is bigger than all of us. Death should be worshipped. Meditating on death or keeping ornaments that remind us of death every day will make our lives better. Our lives will be structured and we will be goal-orientated individuals. Our self-perceptions of ourselves will be higher resulting in high self-esteem and confidence that will enable us to live. We will be fulfilled individuals with the will to impose ourselves to the world. We will nurture the Universes’ soul with the happiness that we will bring to the world. Death is an intellectual concept we could use to better ourselves to create more, be more – to self-actualize! Death is not the only thing we could use. The sublime is something bigger than you, bigger than life! Time fits the category; there was a time before me and you and there will be a time after me and you. By elevating your perspective and using time strategically, you can have a meaningful life. It can be structured, calculated and custom made. By making time an ally, you can make your wildest dreams come true.
In 2003, Manchester United were having one of their pre-season games against Sporting Lisbon. The team for the upcoming season was strengthened and Manchester United were once again one of the favorites along with Arsenal to land the big premier league trophy. Against Sporting Lisbon, Legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson fielded a strong side to test the boys against Lisbon. Lisbon were impressive. They played good, free-flowing football. It was fast and direct. At the heart of their offensive play was young Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo dawning the number 28 jersey number on the left flank. At times, he was unplayable. He had a charisma in his play. He was quick, deceptive, had good passing range, his decision making was superb, he was a showman and dazzled the crowd with his skills, he could shoot with both legs, was a good crosser of the ball and he was only 17 years old. At the end of the game, the Manchester United players went to their manager and told him to sign the young Portuguese, the manager concurred – it was a no brainer, this boy was destined to be a star! It didn’t take long for Manchester United to get their man and before the season commenced he was officially a Manchester United player dawning the iconic number 7 jersey worn by Eric Cantona and David Beckham. The young Cristiano Ronaldo would serve his apprenticeship phase under the tutelage of the greatest manager in the world at the best club in the world. Expectations were high and he seemed geared up and ready to take over the world.
A couple of years later and he was one the exciting and best young players in the league. He had developed into a supreme, elite football star. He was a better dribbler, picked the best moments to showboat, he was one of the best crossers of the league, he was a fantastic header of the ball, his shots were on target more and he had become a deadly dead ball specialist scoring free-kick goals for fun. He regularly scored more than 20 goals in the league ensuring Manchester United’s dominance in the league. It wasn’t a fluke too. The young Portuguese worked hard. Carlos Tevez his teammate 2007-2009 once told reporters about Ronaldo’s will to be the best. He stated “I wanted to work on my shooting so I came in an hour earlier before the training session and he (Ronaldo) was already there training. So the next day, I came in two hours earlier and although he (Ronaldo) was a bit tired he was already there training.” Cristiano Ronaldo was always the first person on the training pitch and he was always the last one to leave. He was there 2 hours before everyone and stayed on 2 hours after everyone had left. He embarked on what we call “Deliberate Practice”: For 4 hours every day he would work on shooting drills, free-kicks and other soccer related things. He did it every day, even when the tasks would become passive, boring and repetitive. He learned to discipline his mind and work hard consistently. He was obsessed with being the best player in the world. In 2008, he was named the PFA’s Player of the year and PFA’s players’ player of the year. In addition to that he was named UEFA’s best player of the year for leading Manchester United to the trophy. He was also named FIFA player of the year and won the Ballon D’Or Award – an award given for individual performance. It was a clean sweep of all the awards. It was warranted too, he impressively lead Manchester United to the treble (Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League) scoring a whopping 42 goals in all competitions in which 31 were in the league – A record that stood for 9 years. Amongst those goals is one of the greatest goals in the history of the premier league, a stunning free-kick that will never be replicated no matter how many times you practice.
After that amazing season, Europe’s heavyweights started knocking on Manchester United’s door. Showing strong intent to purchase Cristiano Ronaldo were Real Madrid who were prepared to shutter the world transfer record to bring the star to the Santiago Bernabou. Cristiano Ronaldo was interested, citing that it was a dream to play for Real Madrid. However, Manchester United weren’t keen on letting their superstar go. So, a compromise was reached. Sir Alex Ferguson convinced Cristiano Ronaldo to play one more season at Old Trafford and after that he is free to leave for Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo obliged. It was another great season for Cristiano Ronaldo as Manchester United once again won the league and were in the finals of the UEFA Champions League. Manchester United were hoping to defend their crown and with Cristiano Ronaldo on their side who had scored the best goal of the competition (A 40 yard shot that hit the top corner against Porto) they had a chance. Their opponents in the final of the Champions League were FC Barcelona who had won the league with an impressive 99 points. They had also won the Spanish Cup and were hoping to make it a treble. It was a going to be a magnificent final and the stage was epic, Rome was all geared up! It was a fantastic start for Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United as they had FC Barcelona in comprising positions. A noteworthy highlight was Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal bound free-kick saved by Victor Valdes. FC Barcelona however got their noses in front and it stayed that way for the duration of the game. They played extremely well and introduced a new brand of football to the world. The football of shot passes, diagonal passes, passing into space, running into space and triangle formations. Xavi Hernandez made the midfield his and bossed Manchester United alongside Andreas Iniesta. Sergio Busquets was deployed as a CDM and Yaya Toure was a CB. FC Barcelona wanted to retain possession with the type of tactics they deployed in that game. Later in the second half of the game, a new star was introduced to the world namely Lionel Messi who scored an amazing header from a Xavi Hernandez cross to take the game away from Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United. The game finished 2-0 in favor of FC Barcelona and they had done it – they had successfully completed the treble! Later that year it was Lionel Messi who had a clean sweep of the awards and dethroned Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player in the world. It was only the beginning of the rivalry between these great players.
In 2009 Real Madrid announced the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo. It was a world record fee of 100 Million. They also bought 2007 Ballon D’Or winner Ricardo Kaka who was in his prime. To add to their attack they completed the signing of Karim Benzema who was branded the next best thing from Lyon. The signings provided real intent to topple FC Barcelona’s dominance and reign in Spain. Earlier in the year FC Barcelona had humiliated Real Madrid 6-2 at the Santiago Bernabou. A drastic change was needed. Florentino Perez, the president of Real Madrid also brought in Manuel Pellegrini to be at the helm of the team. There was optimism in the air. Throughout the season, Real Madrid were strong contenders for the league battling it out until the last day of the season. Real Madrid however came out short and ended the season with 96 points to FC Barcelona’s 98 points. There were positives though. In his first season at Real Madrid, their star man Cristiano Ronaldo scored an awesome 26 goals in the league. Real Madrid however did get knocked out of the UEFA Champions League last 16 phase and did nothing of note in the Spanish Cup. While Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona were headlining the tournament. In a game against Arsenal at the Camp Nou – a game in which FC Barcelona were trailing Arsenal 1 to 0, Lionel Messi scored an awesome 4 goals! He was untouchable! He was unstoppable! In a post-match interview, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger proclaimed that he was the greatest player in the history of the game. It wasn’t just him, football pundits exploded with praise for the young Argentine star. Once again, Cristiano Ronaldo witnessed Lionel Messi take all the awards and the acclaimed that came with it.
Writing-off the previous season as a disaster, Real Madrid decided to go with a manager who would match their lofty ambitions. They identified Jose Mourinho as the guy who would dethrone FC Barcelona and retain Real Madrid’s status as one of the best teams in the world. Jose Mourinho had just won the treble with Italian Side Inter Milan. It was Mourinho’s Milan side who had knocked out FC Barcelona on the Champions League Semi-finals. At San Siro, they managed to beat FC Barcelona 3-1 playing swift and deadly counter-attacking football that was too much for the Catalan outfit. They lost 1-0 at the Camp Nou but won on aggregate 3-2 and that result was enough for them to progress through to the finals of the Champions League against Bayern Munich. A final they triumphed courtesy of two Diego Milito goals. It was Jose Mourinho who would bring glory to Real Madrid. To aid Jose Mourinho in his quest Real Madrid bought two of the best talents exhibited in the World Cup in South Africa namely Angel Di Maria and Mesut Ozil. Xabi Alonzo was brought in from Liverpool and his compatriot Ricardo Carvalho from Chelsea. Having come so close last season, now the team that could challenge FC Barcelona this season was complete. FC Barcelona lost their opening game against Hercules 2-0 and it gave Real Madrid an open window to capitalize, a chance they didn’t pass up on. Both teams would have to meet up in the run in. Leading up to the big El Classico game, both teams were red hot playing exquisite football. They were thrilling the fans and scoring a lot of goals. Cristiano Ronaldo was Real Madrid’s talisman while Lionel Messi was FC Barcelona’s talisman. The big day at the Camp Nou came and everyone was buzzing. Although, Real Madrid hadn’t beaten FC Barcelona in 5 competitive games – this time was different, they were at the helm of the log and were not planning on relinquishing their top spot. They had the right players to challenge FC Barcelona and the best manager in the world at the time. Despite all those positives, the game finished 5-0 in favor of FC Barcelona. Once again, FC Barcelona had humiliated Real Madrid in front of a global audience of over 600 million viewers. FC Barcelona were better in every department. Somehow, it looked like they were faster. Real Madrid were like unfit amateurs. They couldn’t get the ball of FC Barcelona. They chased and chased in vain with nothing to show for it. Xavi Hernandez, Andreas Iniesta and Lionel Messi were wonderful. Lionel Messi was deployed as a false number nine, so he could assist in midfield and create space for David Villa and Pedro Rodriguez on the flanks. Real Madrid didn’t know how to counter this formation. It was strange and unorthodox. Lionel Messi provided two wonderful assists that were dispatched by David Villa. The world had never seen football played like that.
A couple of months later, FC Barcelona were comfortably at the helm of the table. They were in the Spanish Cup final and their opponents were Real Madrid. Coincidentally, they also drew Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the champion’s league. The Spanish Cup finals went into extra-time, an occasion that needed a hero. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and scored a wonderful header that won Real Madrid the cup. Finally, a change of momentum, a change of fortune, Real Madrid were elated with the result and Cristiano Ronaldo who had been great all season had led them to the promise land. The focus shifted from the Spanish Cup to the Champions League. The first leg was at the Santiago Bernabou and the Madrid hopefuls were optimistic. Real Madrid had a real change of eliminating FC Barcelona, of winning the Champions League. Paul the Octopus who had predicted the success of Spain in the World Cup finals against Holland was brought in and he predicted a Real Madrid win. Everything seemed to be in Real Madrid’s favor – even luck, Jose Mourinho had transformed Real Madrid. Lionel Messi however had other plans. In the last 15 minutes of the games, he passed Ibrahim Affaley on the left flank who in turn crossed it the box for an incoming Messi who dispatched it with a fantastic finish. 5 minutes later, he was fouled in the center of the pitch. He took a quick free-kick and passed Sergio Busquets who in turn passed it back and Messi dribbled past 5 Real Madrid players and scored. It was a classic goal. The Santiago Bernabou didn’t believe what it had just witnessed. Some fans started leaving after that goal despite there being 10 minutes left, it was over. FC Barcelona won 2-0 away and looked poised to play in the finals. The result of the second leg was 1-1 which meant that FC Barcelona would play the final against Manchester United at the Wembley Stadium. FC Barcelona ended up winning the final 3-1. They also won the league. The Spanish Cup proved to be a consolation prize as FC Barcelona won all the big honors. Cristiano Ronaldo however scored an amazing 40 league goals breaking a record that was held by Real Madrid legend Hugo Sanchez for more than 40 years. He scored an impressive 54 goals in all competitions and won the European Golden Boot. Lionel Messi scored an impressive 53 goals in all competitions and managed to score 31 league goals. For the third time in his career, Cristiano Ronaldo watched Lionel Messi take all the awards that were available. At this point in his career, he was the undisputed best player of 3 years.
Although Cristiano Ronaldo was not winning individual awards, he was playing exceptional well. He and Messi had raised the bar so high. Ronaldo however thought that this season would be the year that Real Madrid eclipsed FC Barcelona. Everyone was working hard and they all understood their roles. For this season, the plan was to win the league. European Champions FC Barcelona had a long schedule and Real Madrid understood that fatigue would be a factor for FC Barcelona, what they needed to do on their side was to stay perfect and win games. They started off well and carried on winning. FC Barcelona followed suite but were struggling. FC Barcelona had key members of the squad like David Villa and Carles Puyol injured early on. They labored on some games and drew a couple. Real Madrid just kept on winning. The big game came El Classico and was contested at the Santiago Bernabou. The game started off great for the home side Real Madrid who got a goal in the opening 5 minutes through Karim Benzema. However, FC Barcelona equalized through Alexis Sanchez. Xavi Hernandez scored the second and Cesc Fabregas scored a third goal to take the game away from Real Madrid. The score finished 3-1 in favor of FC Barcelona. That result however did not dethrone Real Madrid at the helm, it merely reduced the deficit to 1 point. Real Madrid carried on winning games while the games piled up for FC Barcelona and the injury list kept on getting bigger. In the process FC Barcelona won the UEFA Super Cup, The Spanish Super Cup and the Club World Cup. When they returned to playing league football, they were fatigued and labored through results. While Real Madrid were playing the best football in Europe. Jose Mourinho’s side were irresistible! They played the best counter-attacking football the world has ever seen. It was one touch football, it was direct, concise and devastating. Teams didn’t know how to cope with it. Xabi Alonso, Angel Di Maria, Mesut Ozil, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo were phenomenal! They would win 9-0 or 8-0 or 7-1. Mesut Ozil racked up an impressive number of assists. He had 20 more assists than second placed Lionel Messi in Europe across all competitions. Cristiano Ronaldo was scoring goals for fun. After a couple of months Real Madrid and FC Barcelona met at the Camp Nou for the second leg of their league encounter. Real Madrid were at the helm of the log leading FC Barcelona with 4 points. FC Barcelona had to win if they were to have any chance at defending their title. It was a tight encounter and at half time the score was 1-1. The second half commenced and the game required a hero. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and finished a swift counter-attacking move. After scoring he celebrated and popularized his iconic “calma” celebration. The Camp Nou was deaf quiet. The match finished 2-1 in favor of Real Madrid. Real Madrid lost on penalties against Bayern Munich on the Champions League semi-finals. However, it was still a successful year. They had achieved what they wanted to do. They had dethroned FC Barcelona and won the league with a staggering 100 points! A feat only achieved by Italian Champions Juventus under Conte. They achieved it playing great football and scoring plenty of goals in the process. Cristiano Ronaldo scored an impressive 46 league goals beating his own record that he achieved last season of 40 goals. He managed to score 60 goals in all competitions. Lionel Messi however scored an unbelievable 50 league goals that season. He was the Champions League top goal scorer with 12 and finished the season with 73 goals in all competitions. He also broke Gerrald Mullers record of 85 goals in a calendar year – scoring an unbelievable 91 goals in a year! For the fourth time in his career, Ronaldo watched as Lionel Messi took all the awards.
In 2013, the general consensus was that Cristiano Ronaldo would always be second best to Lionel Messi – that nothing he did was enough. To be fair, it was partly true. In another time, another period Cristiano Ronaldo’s stats would be enough to make him one of the greatest players of all time. However Messi’s presence was hindering him a place in the stars, a chance at immortality –to be a true great of the game. Football pundits were sympathetic while Cristiano Ronaldo was pragmatic. All that mattered to him was getting better. The season commenced and Lionel Messi was at his usual best. He led a rampant FC Barcelona who wanted the league back. They were ruthless and unforgiving. Lionel Messi made history by becoming the first player to score against all the teams of the league consecutively – simply put he scored every game. It put FC Barcelona way ahead of the pack in log. However fate smiled at Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi got an injury in the last 2 months of the season. It was unfortunate for Lionel Messi but great for Ronaldo. Messi’s injury didn’t hurt FC Barcelona as they matched Real Madrid 100 points of the previous season. While Real Madrid finished 18 points behind. Lionel Messi scored an unbelievable 46 league goals and won the European Golden Boot that season. However the Ballon D’Or ceremony would be in January and it merits work done in a calendar year. With Lionel Messi’s injury Cristiano Ronaldo had a chance. Lionel Messi aggravated his injury and that prolonged his stay on the sidelines for an additional 3 months. Something that seemed to motivate Cristiano Ronaldo. In the month of September he scored 3 hatricks in a space of 2 weeks while playing for both club and country. With Messi on the sideline, he had the stage on his own and he was rejuvenated. He scored a wonderful 63 goals in the calendar year and despite not winning any honors for Real Madrid he was announced as the best player at the Ballon D’Or Awards. Cristiano Ronaldo was emotional on the stage as he cried. All these years, he had been number two when his efforts merited number one was hard for him. It was a release. It was well deserved.
In 2014 Cristiano Ronaldo carried off were he had left off last year. A new coach in Carlo Ancelotti was appointed and the future seemed bright. Carlo Ancelotti was an experienced manager who had won titles all over the world. He had previously lead AC Milan to two European titles and with the current crop of players – he would be the one to bring La Decima to Real Madrid and Florentino Perez. Real Madrid were playing well with their Carlo Ancelotti inspired 4-3-3 formation. The players were rejuvenated after the sacking of Jose Mourinho. Cristiano Ronaldo had found a second release. He had a swagger. He was in the moment. He owned the title of being the world’s best! Real Madrid were exciting and played a brand of football that got them plenty of goals. Everyone was chipping in with goals as players like Karim Benzema rediscovered their form. Gareth Bale who had been just signed from Spurs for a world record fee joined in the party and found his stay at Real Madrid to be a pleasant one. For their efforts Real Madrid were in the finals of the Spanish Cup against their fierce rivals FC Barcelona. Cristiano Ronaldo was suspended for the final because of disciplinary reasons but they still beat FC Barcelona to win the cup 2-1 courtesy of a Bale solo goal that was worthy to be a match winner. Real Madrid’s city rivals Atletico Madrid won the league on the last day against FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou courtesy of a Diego Godin equalizer. Had FC Barcelona won the match, they would have won the league. However, it wasn’t meant to be. Real Madrid were in the finals of the UEFA Champions League against city rival Atletico Madrid. A final they won 4-1 after extra time. Cristiano Ronaldo had scored a staggering 17 goals in 11 games in the competition. This led to him being named as UEFA’s best player of the year. He was once again named the best player in the world at the Ballon D’Or awards. Now he had 3 Ballon D’Ors to Messi’s 4.
2015 saw drastic overhaul in the FC Barcelona camp. For the first time in years they had failed to win a trophy. They needed a change of scenery. For this they sacked Head coach Gerardo Martino and brought in Luis Enrique. FC Barcelona bought PFA’s Player of the year Luis Suarez from Liverpool who despite a 10 match ban scored an incredible 31 goals in the league. FC Barcelona also bought the best midfielder in La Liga at the time Ivan Rakitic who played his football at Seville. Claudio Bravo was brought in from Real Sociedad and Marc-Andre ter Stegen from Germany. The result lead to FC Barcelona’s dominance in the league again as they managed to secure another treble of the league, the Spanish and Champions League. Lionel Messi was once again at the helm of football. He dethroned Cristiano Ronaldo after two years and won his 5th Ballon D’Or award. Cristiano Ronaldo was once again relegated to second place.
2016 saw the appointment of Zinedine Zidane as the head coach of Real Madrid and that immediately brought in changes. Despite FC Barcelona’s domestic dominance having won both the League and the Spanish Cup. Real Madrid were in the finals of the Champions League against city rivals Atletico Madrid. A repeat of the 2014 final. Real Madrid won the final courtesy of a penalty shoot-out and Cristiano Ronaldo won the best player of the tournament award having 16 goals in 11 games. He was also the top goal-scorer of the tournament. 2016 also marked the year of the European Championships that were happening in France. Portugal relied on their captain and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to inspire them to the finals. Entering the tournament, Portugal were overwhelming underdogs. Making it past their group would be quite a remarkable feat. They drew all their group stage matches and ended the first round with 3 points. They qualified to the next round as one of the best number 3’s of the tournament. Amazingly they made it all the way to the finals against host nations France. Cristiano Ronaldo was vital in their bid to stay alive in the tournament. He scored important goals that helped the team progress. His leadership was evident as the team fought for one another. The team was highly spirited and motivated. They were hungry. They played like David and you had the feeling they were going to slay Goliath with every game they played. Their approach in the group stage was pragmatic but no matter, it had lead them to the Finals of the European Championships. The last time they had gotten this far was when they were hosting the games in 2004 when Greece beat them 1-0 in front of their fans. This time, it was different. There were no expectations attached to their name. France where the team under pressure to win as the host nation. The game commenced and before the half hour mark, Cristiano Ronaldo got an injury and had to be subbed off. It was a big blow for Portugal and their chances to win the match. However, they stayed strong and compact. They were stable and cemented. They fought for every ball and for one another. They frustrated France and the fans started to be restless. On the sideline Cristiano Ronaldo was cheering the boys on. He was motivating them and instilling belief in them. He did all this while on his crushes with his leg heavily bandaged. At 90 minutes, the game was still 0-0 and the Portuguese players started to believe. Before the game commenced for extra-time, Cristiano Ronaldo and the coach had encouraging words to impart on the players. Cristiano Ronaldo wanted this so badly, because he was a winner. Because his spirit was contagious, it got to the players and they also wanted to win it not only for their injured captain but for themselves. They played extra-time and at the second half of extra time Eder came in as a substitute and scored a goal for the Portuguese side. Cristiano Ronaldo became more animated on the sidelines after the goal, he began shouting out instructions to his teammates on the ground. Telling them to be compact and strong. He was passionate and in the moment! France threw the kitchen sink at Portugal but failed to score. And just like how Portugal had failed to win in front of their home fans in 2004 – France failed to win in 2016. It was a great triumph for the Portuguese side and Cristiano Ronaldo proudly lifted the trophy. It was a great moment in his career. He had won two European Competitions with both his club and country. He was a certified great, a football immortal and one of the best to ever do it! He was named the world’s best player once again taking the crown from Lionel Messi after one year. Now he had 4 Ballon D’Or awards to Messi’s 5.
The next season under the tutelage of Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid won the league and retained the Champions League beating Juventus 4-1 in a final Cristiano Ronaldo dominated. He scored an impressive 16 goals and was named player of the tournament once again. He was named the best player in the world for a record 5 times equaling Lionel Messi’s record of 5 Ballon D’Or awards. Now there was no doubt. Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players to ever play the game. His childhood dream had been realized, his hardwork had paid off.
Cristiano Ronaldo relied on the Sublime namely time, because he was doing all he could every day. He understood that it would reflect on to the world. He refused to take anything for granted and kept playing at a very high level. He was able to motivate himself. He was confident of his abilities and despite what everyone said he knew it was only a matter of time. With deliberate practice he had attained mastery in a short number of years. Being immersed in something bigger than yourself – a god, death, destiny, the universe, will give your life purpose, it will help you in the times were you are most vulnerable, it will drive you and it will propel you to greatness. For Cristiano Ronaldo it was his destiny to be the greatest and he needed time to help him get there. Surround yourself with the sublime!
antakalipa 