Is this the start of the end for Cristiano Ronaldo?

The rape accusation against Cristiano threatens to take away his privileged status in football. Cornered by pressure, on Thursday he agreed with Portugal to leave the national team for the time being and American company Nike, with whom he has a contract worth more than 800 million euros, said they were "deeply concerned" with the news about the Portuguese star. It is very unusual that a brand like Nike produces a statement like this, and if it does it is simply because it has reached the conclusion that the image of the player is seriously damaged.

It is true that this is about a 2009 case and the presumption of innocence must be preserved, but the repercussion of the case is transcending the security barriers that normally protect star players, among other things because the alleged victim is from the United States, a country in which there is logic and great sensitivity with this type of abuse since the tsunami generated by the admirable 'Me Too' movement. We must remember that this case comes after his desperate agreement with the treasury that forced him to pay a fine of 18 million - this is further repetitional damage for Ronaldo.

Curiously or not, Cristiano’s problems have accelerated after his departure from Madrid, a club which had a media machine at his service that protected him and exaggerated his prowess only to minimise those of Messi and Barça. It was there to feed discussion about who was the best in the world, fiction that has only been consumed in Madrid. Now, the Portuguese player no longer has any magical umbrellas and has been left out in the open in the middle of the most dangerous storm of his career. If it is not the beginning of the end, it is what most resembles it.