Ronaldo vs. Ronaldo

THERE IS NO middle ground for soccer fans when it comes to enigmatic, larger-than-life Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. Fans of the sport love him or hate him.

He has been the face of the enemy to fans of Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, while, following 5 years of ascension with Real Madrid, he has been the face of a group that has delivered a Champion's League, Kings Cup, League and Golden Ball award to a storied club that had endured an uncommonly long stretch of mediocre success by its own lofty standards.

But even fans of Real haven't always embraced him as strongly as they do now, in what has been his greatest success from the standpoint of team accomplishment. When Ronaldo, also known commonly as CR7 after the combination his name and jersey number, arrived at Madrid's storied Bernabéu Stadium, he had spent the prior six seasons with English Premier League giant Manchester United. There was a perception that he was a big shot who favored individual accolades first and team participation second, who would worry more about his hair and goal-scoring stats than lifting trophies at Real's championship celebration epicenter, the iconic Plaza de Cibeles Fountain.

During the group stages of the 2014 World Cup, Ronaldo has been a central figure for the Portuguese national team. Everything that national side does flows through him. The U.S. national team saw both the detriment and benefit of this reality during group play. The first example came during the final 30 seconds of the U.S.' encounter with the Portuguese. While Portugal's defense had been decimated in an opening thrashing at the hands of Germany, a game in which the Portuguese lost two starters, U.S. coach Jürgen Klinsmann had what many would argue was a brilliant game plan to neutralize the potent Ronaldo. With the U.S. side up, 2-1, on the Portuguese, deep into the 5 minutes of injury time tacked onto the match, "that" play occurred: Ronaldo got the ball wide during the final minute and placed a perfectly crossed ball onto the head of Silvestre Varela for the equalizer that snuffed out the United States' chance at history and at picking up six points in its first two group matches at a World Cup for the first time since 1930.

Ronaldo taketh away.

During the next round of group matches, the United States had to take on Germany, while Portugal faced Ghana in a pair of matches to decide who would continue into the knockout phase and who would go home. The U.S. could advance with a win or draw against the Germans and could even advance with a close loss, if Portugal beat Ghana. In that match, with the game tied at a goal apiece going into the final 10 minutes of that affair, Ronaldo netted a leftfooted shot in the 80th minute to give the Portuguese a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The U.S., despite a loss, advanced out of the group and into the knockout round for the second consecutive World Cup, something that it had never before achieved.

Ronaldo giveth.

With his fame and glamour, there tends to be plenty of fuel for those who either adore or abhor his persona. He is most commonly compared with Barcelona's Messi, as both are prolific goal scorers for top teams that are the fiercest of rivals. They are commonly pitted against each other as one representing good and the other representing evil, depending upon which club you pledge your allegiance to.

There is a side to CR7, though, that goes largely under the radar in the eyes of the media, and Ronaldo seems content to keep it that way. He seems to care deeply about his fans and exhibits a particular devotion to those most in need. An example of this came out of this World Cup tournament.

You may have noticed a rather interesting zigzag design shaved onto the right side of Ronaldo's haircut during group play. The player offered no explanation for it, but various media reports emerged that the hair design was in homage to young fan Erik Ortiz Cruz, a 10-month-old in need of a brain operation, whose family approached him requesting a donation of signed soccer cleats and jersey, so his family could auction those items off to offset their son's medical expenses.

His response was to return the items they had requested, along with a check for $83,000 to cover the entire cost of the boy's surgery. The zigzag in his hairstyle reportedly matches the scar that young Erik now carries following his surgery.

This is not the only such report of Ronaldo doing something benevolent for a fan in need. In 2009, a 9-year-old boy he met in Las Palmas, Nuhazet Guillén, was suffering from cancer of the spine. He was invited to attend and watch a Real Madrid and meet several of the players and, much to his delight, his hero, CR7, dedicated a goal to him that evening.

There is a Cristiano Ronaldo viewed within the press that will likely remain reviled by most. The same likely goes for many other of the larger-than-life names we cheer both for and against. This normally good-natured back-and-forth exists within sport and always will.

Stories like this, though, should remind us of the humanity behind players we both love and hate that will exist after the final whistle of play.

Ronaldo himself has offered few glimpses into his motivation for his less-public, more-humanitarian side, but a couple of quotes in a newspaper article in May might provide a glimpse into his motivations for such practices:

"My father always taught me that when you help other people, then God will give you double," Ronaldo told a British newspaper. "And that's what has really happened to me. When I have helped other people who are in need, God has helped me more.

"When I go home, my mom says: 'Son, you have done a good act in helping other people. It's good that you are interested in how the world lives.' It is so nice to hear things like that from people who are so important to me."

Even in Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo has been a bit of an acquired taste. He has grown on the merengue faithful though over time and prefers to do his speaking now on the field of play with his feet and diving headers that have the ability to amaze.

However, it's actions beyond his on-field exploits, such as those mentioned here, demonstrate his true value as a human being that will endure well beyond his days as a larger-than-life, enigma.

Good for him.