MOMENTS... a piece of their framed life for a history of pretty memories
"Timor 2005The plane had just touched down on the Comoro Airport runway in Dili. I looked through the 
window and I could not believe my eyes. A small crowd was patiently waiting for my arrival, with cameras or camcorders in one hand and white pieces of paper or welcome posters in the other. It was impressive, but this was nothing when compared with what waited for me during the rest of the day I spent in the capital of East Timor. The streets were filled with thousands of people. They all came just to see me, to wave at me, to get a smile, a greeting, a word, an autograph, a picture of me. I was moved. I was impressed with the great interest of that entire population in me…
window and I could not believe my eyes. A small crowd was patiently waiting for my arrival, with cameras or camcorders in one hand and white pieces of paper or welcome posters in the other. It was impressive, but this was nothing when compared with what waited for me during the rest of the day I spent in the capital of East Timor. The streets were filled with thousands of people. They all came just to see me, to wave at me, to get a smile, a greeting, a word, an autograph, a picture of me. I was moved. I was impressed with the great interest of that entire population in me……We went to the stadium. Here I witnessed something I could never imagine: more than twenty thousand people waiting for me, shouting my name. I was moved and scared at the same time. But Xanana Gusmão was true to his word: he escorted me, took charge of security and made way for me to pass, convincing the Timorese to move so that I could get onto the pitch. The police offi cers, led by the crowd, were even taking pictures!… It was diffi cult, but we managed to climb up to the stadium grandstand. It was incredible. Xanana Gusmão was the fi rst to speak to the crowd. He asked for calm and pointed out the danger of a catastrophe if the crowd would not keep back, thus attempting to quieten down the euphoria. When my turn came to speak I thanked them from the bottom of my heart, for the State honours I received, the love, and the support I felt during that memorable day…
… My fifth grade teacher would also be surprised if she could have witnessed that episode. Today, I cannot stop myself from smiling while recalling her concern w
henever I came to class – sometimes late… – with the ball in one hand. “Ronaldo, forget the ball,” she would say over and over again. “The ball will not feed you. Do not miss classes. School is what really matters to you not the ball, that will not bring you anything in life.” I recalled her words as I was getting on the plane. Life is full of surprises. At the time I would listen to her without paying much attention. But today I understand her and, although she keeps on saying to my mother and my aunt that she will never make this type of comment again to a student, I still think she did the right thing and that she must keep on following her belief. As a teacher, she did her job, and it was a good piece of advice, as we never know what tomorrow brings. But I never paid much attention to her.”
henever I came to class – sometimes late… – with the ball in one hand. “Ronaldo, forget the ball,” she would say over and over again. “The ball will not feed you. Do not miss classes. School is what really matters to you not the ball, that will not bring you anything in life.” I recalled her words as I was getting on the plane. Life is full of surprises. At the time I would listen to her without paying much attention. But today I understand her and, although she keeps on saying to my mother and my aunt that she will never make this type of comment again to a student, I still think she did the right thing and that she must keep on following her belief. As a teacher, she did her job, and it was a good piece of advice, as we never know what tomorrow brings. But I never paid much attention to her.” 
"Playing with the ball to relieve tension...I cannot help caressing the ball or enjoying juggling. I used to do it when I played in the 
street, I kept on doing it all throughout my training and I still do it now. And I will keep on doing it. This is the real Cristiano Ronaldo. I believe that when people see me on the pitch playing with the ball before the beginning of the warm-up period, they may be tempted to think that this is nothing but a charm offensive or showing off. If this is what you think then you are wrong, because I do it naturally…
street, I kept on doing it all throughout my training and I still do it now. And I will keep on doing it. This is the real Cristiano Ronaldo. I believe that when people see me on the pitch playing with the ball before the beginning of the warm-up period, they may be tempted to think that this is nothing but a charm offensive or showing off. If this is what you think then you are wrong, because I do it naturally……Before the matches – both for the club and the national football team – I always have the same routine. As soon as the
coach reveals the composition of the team, I immediately go to the dressing room and start to juggle with the ball. We leave to warm-up and while waiting for the physical exercises to start I keep on practising my skills. I take the ball, I pass it under one foot, and then the other, I pick it up, bounce it, in short, I amuse myself with the ball. I do it just for pleasure, but there is also another reason: to put an end to any tension I may have before the match. My team-mates, in both the club and the Portuguese national team, can confi rm this, as they know me very well. This is the way I have of motivating myself, of relieving the pressure of the match, of calming down, of preoccupying myself.”
coach reveals the composition of the team, I immediately go to the dressing room and start to juggle with the ball. We leave to warm-up and while waiting for the physical exercises to start I keep on practising my skills. I take the ball, I pass it under one foot, and then the other, I pick it up, bounce it, in short, I amuse myself with the ball. I do it just for pleasure, but there is also another reason: to put an end to any tension I may have before the match. My team-mates, in both the club and the Portuguese national team, can confi rm this, as they know me very well. This is the way I have of motivating myself, of relieving the pressure of the match, of calming down, of preoccupying myself.” "Banda Aceh, Martunis
…Banda Aceh, Martunis was horrified by the images broadcast of the tsunami tragedy that occurred in Asia on December 26th, 2004. In no time, several countries in the indies were devastated bt gigantic waves, causing an unreal scene of devastation and, even more dramatic, almost 280,000 deaths and many thousands of people missing. Indonesia was the country that suffered the most from the disaster. Six months after this tragedy, I was there…
…But I found a people with enormous courage and determination to survive, committed to building the future and burying the past, in rebuilding their houses,because in emotional terms it is impossible for those who lived through thetsunami , and everything that followed to forget. A terrible drama…
…Still waking up from the pain, the population received me with a smile and with na extraordinary kindness. I thanked God for somehow being able to help them, even though only for a moment, to forget about the tragedy. I laughed with them, 
encouraged them, comforted them. And they paid me back with their eyes sparkling with hope for the future and they were determined to follow me to every location I was going to visit, be it on foot, bus or motorcycle…
encouraged them, comforted them. And they paid me back with their eyes sparkling with hope for the future and they were determined to follow me to every location I was going to visit, be it on foot, bus or motorcycle…...It was also here that my second meeting took place with Martunis, a seven year old Indonesian boy of great courage, who survived the Tsunami all by himself, for 19 days…
…We spent the day together in Banda Aceh and, once again, I was touched by his innocent look, his curiosity, surprise, and admiration, feelings that he was unable to hide. I cannot even imagine the suffering he went through during those 19 days when he wandered alone, with no news from his family, having to rely on his survival instinct…
More Pictures in Indonesia and the presentation of book "Moments"
Cristiano Ronaldo goes to Aceh, Indonesia
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