Unbearable CR7ness of being Ronaldo

Oh, shut up about the US midterms. At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro retired from international football on Thursday after 23 yrs, 234 appearances and 146 goals for Portugal. With more than 980 goals to his name for clubs and country, football bids bye to one of its most accomplished practitioners as well as exponents of arrogancia, by which notion modesty is a virtue for people with insufficient evidence of superiority. Cristiano, or CR7, as he came to be known as under Alex Ferguson's Manchester Utd in 2003-09, turned arrogance into an art form via every theatrical celebration, every imperious glare. But every self-hosanna was backed by extraordinary football. His speed, shooting, athleticism and, especially, heading were exceptional. His aerial superiority over Messi is a story of storeys.

When Ronaldo debuted for Portugal in August 2003, Atalji was PM, George W Bush was POTUS, and 'The Facebook' was a year away. But longevity, that even tortoises can manage, by itself is no achievement. CR7's extraordinary accomplishment was marrying supreme talent to industrial fitness, maintaining an athletic body as meticulously as a Vacheron Constantin watchmaker maintains his merchandise. Football will produce other maestros. But producing another Cristiano Ronaldo will require considerably more self-belief - and considerably less gravity.