Cristiano Ronaldo: 2011 European Golden Shoe Award Winner

Being rewarded for his hard work on the field, Cristiano Ronaldo was on-hand to receive the 2011 European Golden Shoe Award in Madrid, Spain on Friday (November 4).

The Real Madrid star confidently accepted his honor at the presentation held at the Intercontinental Hotel.

Of the award, Ronaldo said, "I would like to win something bigger at a collective level. I do not think about breaking records, but about Real Madrid. I think our team is more mature and with more trust, and we all have to think the same way to achieve an important goal."

There cheering on her main man, Irina Shayk was among the hundreds of people who came out to show their support for Ronaldo.

Enjoy the pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Irina Shayk at the 'Golden Boot' Ceremony in Madrid (November 4).

What if Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi switched teams? A fan’s view

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi are two of the best players in the world. They play for two of the best teams in the world. Both players and teams have celebrated much success. But what would happen if Ronaldo and Messi switched teams? Here are some thoughts on what might happen to Ronaldo, Messi and the two teams.

Sharing the Ball
The system at Barcelona is dependent on passing and possession. It is orchestrated by their world class midfielders Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. Xavi and Iniesta maintain possession by holding the ball and making strategic passes. Messi fits in well with this system since he supports Xavi and Iniesta possessing the ball. However, Ronaldo would have to adjust. With Real Madrid, Ronaldo is allowed to be more selfish with the ball. He is asked to beat defenders off the dribble. Ronaldo would have to learn to share the ball more on Barcelona.

Goals Scored
Ronaldo and Messi are prolific goal scorers. Ronaldo is a clinical finisher. He would flourish on Barcelona with Xavi and Iniesta setting him up. Messi is a proven scorer on Barcelona. But a big reason for his success is the superior midfield that he plays with. Messi has not had the same goal scoring success with the Argentina National Team. This suggests that Messi may rely on his teammates more than Ronaldo does. If Messi and Ronaldo swapped teams, I think Messi would have less goals and Ronaldo would have more at this point in their careers.

Best Team in the World

Barcelona are regarded as the best football club in the world right now. That probably would not change if Ronaldo and Messi changed teams. I think Ronaldo would improve the Barcelona offense with his finishing skills. Messi would be the best player on Real Madrid, but he would not elevate the team above Barcelona.







Best Player in the World
In 2011, Messi won the FIFA Ballon d'Or trophy, crowning him the best player in the world. He also won the 2011 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. These recent distinctions are primarily due to his performance with Barcelona. Ronaldo could have been the winner of these awards if he was on Barcelona. On Barcelona, Ronaldo would have a better supporting cast. That would make him even more dangerous. Messi might not be as successful on Real Madrid since many of his goals are a result of the support from his excellent Barcelona teammates.


You Decide Who do you think would flourish more if Ronaldo and Messi switched teams? Would Barcelona or Real Madrid have more success? Leave a comment below. If you are not sure, here are two videos to help you decide...

Cristiano Ronaldo right about jealous fans – Levante's Javi Venta agrees with Real Madrid star

Cristiano Ronaldo was right when he said that Dinamo Zagreb fans booed him because they are jealous of him, Levante defender Javi Venta has exclusively told Goal.com.

The Portuguese winger was subjected to intense booing from the crowd during Real Madrid’s Champions League victory in Croatia in midweek, and afterward said that “it was surely because I’m good-looking, rich and a great footballer.”

But Venta told Goal.com that while Ronaldo had a point, he should have thought twice about saying so.

“Honestly, on one hand I think what he says is right,” the 35-year-old admitted.

“Unfortunately it’s true that a lot of people are jealous, but the reality is that you have to be careful what you say.

“Many children set a lot of stock by what they hear from people like him, Messi and others, so you have to be polite when you speak.”

However, the defender’s manager, Juan Ignacio Martinez, believes the comments were a heat-of-the-moment mistake.

“Cristiano is an icon, but the moment he said what he did he already started to regret it, because what he said goes against the values of Real Madrid,” the Levante coach told Marca.com.

“He was affected by the stress of the match and upset by what has happened. Nothing more than that.”

Levante are Real’s next opposition in La Liga, although Ronaldo himself is a doubt for the game.

'A great player like Cristiano Ronaldo should get more protection from referees' – Real Madrid defender Ricardo Carvalho

Portuguese centre-back says his compatriot gets unfair treatment from officials, pointing to the torrid night he endured in the Champions League at Dinamo Zagreb.

Real Madrid centre-back Ricardo Carvalho has called upon referees to give his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo more protection during matches.

Carvalho believes Ronaldo was on the receiving end of some harsh treatment from the opposition during his side's 1-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb - a match during which he was left requiring stitches following one robust challenge for which there was no punishment.

"Marcelo was sent off, Cristiano took many hits and we feel we got very little justice from the referee, who left a few things," Carvalho told Real Madrid TV.

"The challenge on his ankle was wrong, and it's natural for him to get angry. A great player like him should get more protection."

The former Chelsea man also spoke about the ongoing row surrounding his sudden international retirement at the end of August.

"The Portuguese know it was honour for me to wear the shirt - I love Portugal. I made a mistake and people make mistakes. It's a bad time," he said.

The 33-year-old also pledged his support to Jose Mourinho.

"He always wants what's best for the club," he said.

Real Madrid travel to Levante on Sunday as they look to keep up their 100 per cent start to this season's league campaign.

Castrol EDGE presents ‘Ronaldo Tested to the Limit’ (w/VIDEO)

Tomorrow evening on Sky Sports 2 at 8pm you can watch a documentary starring one of the world’s greatest footballers, Cristiano Ronaldo, showing what makes him one of the most talented sportsmen of his generation.

Produced by Castrol EDGE, the documentary explores the idea of mental and physical strength providing an in-depth look at the skills and strength required for Ronaldo to perform at the very highest level.

Naturally, being Castrol EDGE, there is an automotive purpose to the exercise – the company will use the marketing of the documentary to highlight it’s high-performance motor oils – which their tests show to be up to 40% stronger than a leading competitor.

Ronaldo is in Madrid today for an exclusive premiere of the eagerly awaited documentary, in which the Real Madrid and Portugal star takes on a series of challenges, including trying to blast one of his trademark free kicks through a wall of glass and going head-to-head against an elite sprinter in a test of his speed and agility.

The footballer will be arriving in style later this afternoon, pulling into the venue in an Audi R8 Spyder driven by Carlos Sainz – winner of the 2010 Dakar Rally who is also an avid Real Madrid fan. Ronaldo will then officially launch proceedings which will see the documentary, which includes expert insights from Arsene Wenger and Fabio Capello, screened to over a thousand football fans inside the venue.

So how will Ronaldo respond when faced with the most extreme challenges? Take a look at our teaser videos (below) ! and tune into Sky Sports 2 at 8pm tomorrow evening.

Ronaldo hopes to end his career at Madrid (Hala Madrid)

MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed a desire to stay at Real Madrid for the rest of his career.

The former Manchester United striker has only won one major trophy in two years at the club, but speaking to British television station, Sky Sports on Tuesday, he insisted he would be delighted to end his career at the club.

"I would sign for another 10 years, until the end of my career," said Ronaldo, adding a rider.

"Nobody knows what will happen in the future, I can't lie and say I will be here another 10 years with Madrid, or that I will never play for United again. We will have to see what the future holds in store for me," he clarified.

"I am not going to close the door on a possible return to the English Premier League, as I know it well, the players and the atmosphere. I most like Manchester United, but I can't guarantee that I will return, because I am happy at Madrid," said the striker.

Ronaldo admitted he had a close relationship with Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson who, he said, had helped him develop as a player. He also added that he remained in contact with some of his former teammates at the club.

"I am not going to stop speaking to old friends and when I have the chance I speak to Alex Ferguson. He was important for me and it is good to speak to him," said Ronaldo, who explained why he had moved to Real Madrid in 2009.

"There is a beginning and an end for everything, what I did at Manchester closed a chapter. I won nearly everything there and I am always looking for new challenges. I didn't join Madrid for money but for the challenge and also to be closer to my family, for questions of language and for the climate," said Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo voted the most handsome football player in the Spanish La Liga

Cristiano Ronaldo was voted the most handsome football player in the Spanish League "La Liga", in a voting poll made online, by the newspaper "Marca". Ronaldo collected 22,8% of the votes and was followed by Fernando Llorente (19,1%) and Gerard Piqué (16,6%).

Besides being one of the best football players this sports has ever seen, Cristiano Ronaldo also manages to be ranked #1 when it comes to ellect the most handsome football player in Spain. In a sort of beauty contest that Marca.com put online, Ronaldo won the first prize, proving once more that his fame and reputation doesn't have any parallel in football. CR7 finished this voting poll in first place, leaving the second place for Athletico Bilbao's Fernando Llorente and the third place to Barcelona's Gerard Piqué (Shakira's boyfriend).

Even though this doesn't help him much on the pitch, Cristiano Ronaldo has always been known for caring and paying attention to his looks. The Portuguese player, who is currently dating the Russian topmodel Irina Shayk, certainly has a lot of people who hate him in Spain (may that be for envy or just because they are Barcelona fans), which somehow makes this "prize award" being even more surprising, coming from an online voting poll with a huge Spanish representation.

In the other hand, Marca.com also opened a poll for the ugly side of the game. Real Madrid also ended represented in these rankings, with Angel Di Maria and Mesut Ozil taking the first and second places. Parejo and Puyol (Barcelona), finished 3rd and 4th place respectively.

Cannavaro: Cristiano Ronaldo is hotter (Cannavaro's visit to Singapore)

AsiaOne caught up with Italian football legend Fabio Cannavaro while he was in Singapore this past week.

While regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation, Cannavaro's stunning good looks are not to be ignored.

The blue-eyed heart throb had many female fans lining up to snap photos with him at a private party at Raoul's Paragon store on Friday night.

Speaking exclusively to AsiaOne, Cannavaro broke into a wide grin as he was asked who he thought was sexier, Cristiano Ronaldo or himself.

Sharply dressed in a black suit, the Naples native said in Italian, "Oh, Cristiano Ronaldo, now I'm a retired player so..."

This answer was the second example of Cannavaro's modesty when it comes to his sexy physique.

When asked about being voted sexiest player of the 2006 World Cup earlier that day, Cannavaro told AsiaOne that he had always tried hard to be recognised for his skills on the pitch but is also grateful for his good looks.

"My parents gave me the blessing of having good looks and that's just something extra that I am grateful for."

So does the chiselled Italian have a training routine to keep his body in such great shape?

Definitely not right now he says.

Cannavaro, who turns 38 in September said, "I'm on holiday so I just want to enjoy myself. And I just keep myself physically active."

The 2006 winner of the Fifa World Player of the Year also credited his facial care routine to products of a shaving brand he used to publicize for for many years.

Cannavaro broke female hearts everywhere when he married his sweetheart in 1994. He had met Daniela Cannavaro when he was 18.

They now have three children together, two sons aged 12 and seven, and a daughter aged 10.

The happily married man revealed that the secret to a successful marriage in a footballer's lifestyle is not just love but patience too.

"At the base of every good marriage there is love, but it needs a lot of patience and attention to have a good marriage".

Full Story & Cannavaro's visit to Singapore's Photo CLICK HERE