Football's plagiaristar, Cristiano Ronaldo

Plagiarism is the practice of taking someone else's work or idea and passing it off as one's own. It's not just rife in academic and opinion-making circles but is also found widely in the creative - or, more correctly, re-creative - world. Now, the field of football has a plagiaristar - Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese forward's enthusiasm to shine on the field is only matched by his genuine talent. But the former took an over-enthusiastic turn on Tuesday, when in their World Cup game against Uruguay, Portugal scored the first goal. It was Ronaldo, who had been closest to the Uruguayan goal and seemed to touch midfielder Bruno Fernandes' shot on goal, guiding it into the net with his (overblown?) head.

This theory got more credence when Ronaldo claimed the goal, hand raised both in celebration and acknowledgement. Adidas' Connected Ball Technology gadget placed inside the official Al Rihla match ball said otherwise. It recorded no Ronaldo contact, making what was thought as the faintest of touches, the feigntest. The goal was Fernandes' and was soon credited to him as such.


In his eagerness to reach Portuguese great Eusebio's record of nine goals in a World Cup, Ronaldo was almost getting away with what was Fernandes'. Thankfully, in this case, the devil didn't get what wasn't his due. Instead, he scored a shameside.