During Tuesday’s match with Bayern Munich, Cristiano Ronaldo was subject to whistling from a decent amount of supporters. While this isn’t uncommon for him, it does raise the question: why do fans whistle at Ronaldo? He has performed so well for Real Madrid, winning the Ballon D’Or several times while being there, and helping to bring home two Champions League trophies as well as a La Liga title under Mourinho in the 2011-2012 season.
It is also common for Ronaldo to have a 30 goal season, far and away Real Madrid’s top scorer. So why do Real Madrid fans berate him on the pitch? The most obvious reason is that he has set the bar so high for himself, that anything less than superb is considered a flunk by the Madrid supporters.
While that is part of the reason for Ronaldo’s poor treatment, it also has to do with the winger’s ego. Ronaldo occasionally takes a page out of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s book and refers to himself in the third person, almost as if speaking about a deity. However, Ibrahimovic has managed to coin this as part of his personality and has earned praise for his confidence. Also, the Swede manages to make it humorous, something his fans have come to love. Ronaldo is a bit more on the arrogant side when it comes to speaking about his success
When Ronaldo hears the whistles, he puts his finger to his lips in front of the fans, as if challenging them. He lets them get to his head, despite insisting that he is confident in his capabilities. At that level, you must be above the the lowly fans who can’t understand the concept of a dip in form. Firing back at them will only encourage more child like behavior. Ultimately, Ronaldo is whistled because of his arrogance, the supporters’ impossibly high standards, and his own inability to tune out the noise.
source: The Guardian
