Excellent Article

On Cristiano Ronaldo, the ultimate athletic villain.

When he is not near the ball, he will jog with all the urgency of a man crossing a city street just as the light has begun to blink. When an opponent has deigned to knock him to the ground, and a foul has not been called, he will lie there, lounging, for 30 seconds or more, as if to make sure that everyone sees what someone has just done to Cristiano Ronaldo. When a teammate fails to score after receiving one of his brilliant and perfectly positioned passes -- as happened at least twice Monday -- he looks to the sky and rolls his eyes, because, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo would have scored if only Cristiano Ronaldo could have passed the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Much of the article talks about how no American athletic is quite like Ronaldo. Kobe is the closest, but the difference is Kobe tries to be liked. He tries to be funny in the press conferences. He wants to have friends and be a good guy. He isn't, but he tries. Cristiano Ronaldo does not try. He does not care. He is a true villain. Kobe is just weird, but not quite a villain.