Cristiano Ronaldo, who is not old, overcame difficulties as he approached the scoring record

Cristiano Ronaldo tells us who he is through his body. This is his personal creation, still perfect at the age of 36: an incredible narrow waist and straight back, the abdominal muscles of a socialist realist statue, the standing and jumping of a basketball star, the gloomy expression of a boy band singer, and the heart of an ultramarathon runner On Saturday, when the defending champion Portugal meets Germany at the 2020 European Cup, his beat will hardly rise. God created his football opponent Lionel Messi, but Ronaldo is proud of creating himself.

When Ronaldo was born on the island of Madeira, he had a great chance of winning, which was on the edge of poverty in Portugal. His mother wanted to give him an abortion, but Portuguese law did not allow it in 1985. His father was a veteran of the Angolan War and was “drunk almost every day,” Ronaldo later recalled. A biographer, Jan-Cees Butter, believes that unwanted children constantly need to prove his right to exist.

As a homesick youth at the Lisbon Sports Academy, he was ridiculed for his Madeira accent. At the age of 18, his talents brought him to England and Manchester United. A year later, Portugal lost to Greece in the 2004 European Cup final, but by then he was already reinventing himself.

He was smart enough to analyze his game, and he realized that his only trick-stepping-would not make him the best player in the world. He also can’t header, tackle or free kick well. He taught these skills by himself and memorized a series of feints through daily repetition.

As a thin sprinter, his career does not seem to be long, but through compulsive training-he can do 142 sit-ups in 45 seconds-he wraps his body with muscles. Even during the holidays, he often exercises. Whenever he suspects that he is with an amateur, his ice bath and instant glare will make his teammates professional.

Raquel Vaz-Pinto, a political scientist at the Portuguese Institute of International Relations and Security, said he became a role model for the Portuguese generation of immigrants after the financial crisis. She defined his message as: “If you are talented and ambitious, if you give a lot, you will succeed.”

In 2014, he reinvented himself again. After warning of a chronic injury to his left knee, he transformed himself from an all-around player to a scoring center, usually touching the ball at most once before shooting. He left the defense to his teammates, which was an extra performance in his personal drama.

In the 2016 European Cup final, he played for Portugal’s first Grand Slam tournament. He was injured after 25 minutes and left the field, and then coached on the bench as if the head coach did not exist. Portugal defeated France in overtime. In his speech to the team, Ronaldo first regarded the trophy as a personal event: “This is a prize that I still lack in my career. Thanks to you.”

He has won the Ballon d’Or for the best player in the world five times, while Messi has won six times. Arguing about who is better is as stupid as arguing whether Michelangelo is better than Leonardo. The personal duel between the two players promoted both of them.

“Messi is good for Ronaldo, and Ronaldo is good for Messi,” Kelian Mbappé said. The young French forward is considered to be the best player of the new generation. He grew up with Ronaldo’s poster in his bedroom. He believes he is not an opponent of anyone.

“If you tell yourself that you will do better than them, it is surpassing yourself or determination-it is a lack of consciousness. Those players are unparalleled,” Mbappé says In the Esquire interview this spring.

Messi and Ronaldo are modern greats who resist aging due to advancements in professionalism, nutrition and healthcare: Tennis stars Roger Federer and Serena Williams are 39 years old, and Tom Brady won this year at 43 years old Super Bowl.

Ronaldo’s motivation has not diminished in the slightest: every defeat is an insult to the individual, and every teammate’s failure is a tragedy. He is also a perfectionist off the court: he helps his brother Hugo get rid of drugs and silently donates to charities. Three of his four children were born by surrogate mothers. They were not involved in raising the children, as if no partner could meet the standards of his parents.

However, for all his 148 million Facebook fans, Ronaldo’s achievements have not made him popular outside of Portugal. Unfairly, the on-demand brilliance seems to be mechanical. Opposing fans mocked him with the slogan “Messi!”, while the Hungarian crowd on Tuesday tried to insult homosexuality. Without fear, he scored twice in a 3-0 victory.

At the pre-match press conference, he carelessly wiped Coca-Cola shares fall by billions of dollars Removed the two Coke bottles in front of him and replaced them with praise water.

Ronaldo now has 106 goals in 176 international matches. Leading a Portuguese team that is stronger than five years ago, he is approaching the Iranian international record of 109 Aliday. He doesn’t seem to be done yet.