The scale of luxury

I finally got to watch Cristiano Ronaldo's documentary (it's not great, almost good, which is a surprise when you've got someone like Asif Kapadia—of Senna and Amy fame—on board) and the first scene after introductory credits makes you aware of the privileged life Cristiano Ronaldo leads. Which shouldn't surprise anybody given he makes £300,000 a week for his footballing exploits. He doesn't even know how many cars he owns! Moreover, there's no doubt that he's a legend in the making. By the time he retires, we'd be sorry for the lack of footballers of his calibre. The amount of discipline and industry he pours into his profession is so apparent that he doesn't even have to rip off his jersey or celebrate by running half the stadium. But then, people are always going to compare him to Messi because of a simple reason: Cristiano appears obsessed with Messi, not the other way round. Cristiano is more obsessed with Cristiano by any yardstick. Going by the press reports, Messi barely mentions CR7. The lil' genius is way too busy talking about Barcelona and his teammates. Also, there is a whole lot of me-me-me going on (as evident by the documentary too) in Cristiano's life, which might very well be the propellant for his incredible success.  Everyday, he's trying to prove to the world that he's the best. And when you have a rival like Messi on the leaderboard, that's going to be really tough. 

I digressed.

This blog post was supposed to be about privilege, not footballers who are professional enough to know which badge to kiss. So, while watching the aforementioned documentary, i couldn't help but wonder how awesome it must feel to be Cristiano. No worries about bills to pay. Everything is sorted. There are people to take care of your needs. All he has to do is perform (which he does anyway). Such a blessed lifestyle! And that's when it occurred to me that there are people on this planet who might be praying to have the luxury you and me are having. An existence where you are at least aware of what's going on. I'm sure there must be people who are way too occupied by their battle against hunger and ignorance that they are dying to have a bird view. The way we do thanks to technological accesses that we take for granted. If Cristiano is making millions per year, there are people who are making less than thousands per year. And for them, a footballer in La Liga doesn't matter. They are far more closer to realities. A reality populated by people like you and me.  

PS. I hope DF10 (Diego Forlan's upcoming documentary) turns out to be a better film because Ronaldo's relied heavily on vanity and excuses.