Cristiano Ronaldo: He’s No David Beckham.

By: chris | November 10th, 2009

beckham_ronaldo_71973e (That headline may crash Google. Apologies.)

The #7 Red Devil to Madrid train has treated the Spanish quite well so far. Whilst Cristiano Ronaldo appears irreplaceable and integral on the pitch, GoldenMcNuggets was irreplaceable off of it. In the club shops, on clothing store racks, plastered on billboards – Beckhamania did more for Spanish finances than anything since gold bullion.

Real expected a similar effect once they signed CR9, which is why they felt so comfortable spending so much cash on his rights. They were wrong. By quite a bit.

By percentage, the expected rise in revenue after the acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo versus the actual increase via Sir David Beckham:

CR9: 3.5%
DB23: 27%

The sale of CR9 kits versus those of DB23: -75%.

A marked decrease in both respects.

Those interested in these things cite the economic crisis as the main cause for the lack of boom. The crisis, without getting into snoozenomics, has hit Spain particularly hard and surged the unemployment rate up near 20%. In times like these, football kits aren’t particularly high on the list of priorities.

But I gather there’s another reason why: David Beckham is likable; Cristiano Ronaldo is not. And this is aside from the typical fangirl/boy gushing or teen magazine worship of David’s looks. David Beckham is a nice guy, the consummate professional, an affable public figure and, lastly, still a quality footballer – even if his wife is a bit odd. Cristiano Ronaldo is an arrogant egomaniac with a reputation as a whiner, diver and unprofessional teammate. In essence he’s Bizarro Beckham.

And, if you consider the fangirl/boy crushes a wash, this makes all the difference. Proving once and for all…nice guys do finish first.

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Category: English Premier League

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Vko

Beckham is way greater a player. He is the player I would wear a jersey of, Ronaldo is just a good player with a large ego. DB is like the royalty of nowaday football. About CR being unprofessional- there is just one thing to say- ask Ruud Van Nistelrooy. It is understandable why all his teammates would say the same good thing if they don't want to get fired. Van Nistelrooy does also say nice things since CR joined Real, but the Portugese was ultimately the reason Ruud left United.
ryan khalif

4 me,beckham is the best..
no doubt about it..
although cr is better than him,but he can't beat db freekicks..the greatest!!!
Omer

Where did you get the bit about Ronaldo being unprofessional and a bad teammate? Every single person he has worked with has called him the ultimate professional, and his teammates from United to Real Madrid are singing his praises (search for Evra's and Kaka's interviews). I think this piece was written by a Ronaldo hater who sadly couldn't be objective.
mary

βλακιες ολα αυτα ειναι μαλακιες..ο cr9 is the best of all and the most handsome of all..i love cr9 and i always love him
Diane

Chris, you didn't crash google, but you really should put up a little box counting how many days you stay at the top of its blog listings. Good thinking...although although I can't imagine anyone's beaten Laurie's ability to combine player names and body parts for maximum visibility ;-) .
Cristiano Ronaldo

It seems like Beckham has a different appeal with fans, and that makes him a unique money-making machine... maybe it's the blond hair... or is it the wife?
Diane

The thing is that when Beckham came to Spain, people thought he was ONLY coming to sell shirts, but in his first 6 months he played so strongly it started a love affair between him, Spanish fans, and press that lasted through ups and downs in form until he left amidst an outpouring of sentiment so soppy (and kind of sweet actually) that we could barely read the papers, and that was well before the Madrid won La Liga!
ornstre

I think the fact that David is English and came through the Manchester United Youth system and is a true born and bred Manchester United player (and fan)has a lot to do with it.

I am sorry if it sounds bigoted but an Englishman AND Manchester United player signing for Real Madrid would have a more lasting effect and interest. There is always a lot of hype with England and English players and the amount of interest they generate because of the media.

Most importantly, what made David Beckham a global star and the most marketable player in the world was the success of the FILM and the title which bears his name BECKHAM and this, above all other factors, I think, has made Beckhamania what it was/is and perhaps always will be. That film 'immortalised' his marketability and name globally and guaranteed financial success.
Drabik

He's probably referring to the 'trying to get Rooney sent off' part of Euro '04. I am also a united fan, but I don't really have a low view of Ronaldo. He has said nothing but great things about United since he left. He is portuguese, so of course Manchester probably isnt the best place in the world for him.

Real Madrid are stupid to spend so much money, especially whilst looking at the economic climate. Hopefully they'll have to sell him back....
ish

the problem is c.ron knows he is good, great in fact and even if he has had to work hard(which he has) he is allowed that bit of hubris.
beckham was talented but alot of his skills comes from alot of hard work, putting in extra shifts after training etc.
that and the media circus of marrying a spice girl helped alot as well. victoria probably made him more a global star than anything else he did.
SP

as a united fan, i def see cr"9" as a lower professional than beckham and still have a relatively low view of ronaldo, but i haven't really heard of any references to him being a bad teammate from any past or present teammates.