The Curious Case of 'fat' Ronaldo: Unrealistic Beauty Standards in the Beautiful Game



P.K. Subbanovich



Some of you may remember a time when the name Ronaldo made you think of not Cristiano Ronaldo, but a Brazilian footballer taking the world by storm for both club and country through his prolific scoring record. He was know as the Ronaldo, or better yet simply just Ronaldo.

Life for Brazilian Ronaldo began to change in 2004 when a young, sexy, tanned, soft yet rugged, skillful Portuguese winger with great ability with both feet, fantastic vision on the field with excellent finishing also named Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo that is, burst onto the scene. A confusing situation arose in the football community when conversations about either Ronaldo would occur. The question of "which one?" quickly interrupted the mention of the name Ronaldo leading to fans needing to find a way to differentiate between the two superstars.

Fat Ronaldo. That is how the striker from Brazil began to be known in the minds of fans around the world. After all he had achieved in football including winning the FIFA World Cup twice, he was now "fat" Ronaldo. Not long after the precursor to his name stuck, fat Ronaldo's hunger for the game transformed into literal hunger. This affected his performances and expedited his departure from Europe as he returned to Brazil to play for Corinthians.

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I don't want to live in a world where footballers are remembered for their physical features as opposed to their playing ability. A young, handsome player with the last name Ribéry might be on his way to football stardom, but then what would happen to Franck? Ugly Ribéry? This sets a dangerous precedent. Cristiano Ronaldo may be beautiful, but this is an ugly situation.