Don't Judge the Cristiano Ronaldo-Rafa Benitez Dynamic on Seconds of Footage

A disallowed goal, a crossbar challenge and a training session: What a furore they've created. But for Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafa Benitez, the headlines were probably inevitable. 

AS: "Ronaldo left fuming by Rafa."

Daily Mail: "Cristiano Ronaldo failing to buy into Rafa Benitez's new tenure at Real Madrid."

Goal: "Ronaldo's angry response to Benitez."

SB Nation: "Cristiano Ronaldo is already really sick of Rafa Benitez."

Express: "Rafa Benitez plays down bust-up with Man Utd target Cristiano Ronaldo."

Mirror: "Frustrated Cristiano Ronaldo 'FURIOUS with Rafa Benitez for disallowed goal in training.'"

Quickly, predictably, the dynamic between Ronaldo and Benitez is being portrayed as icy. Admittedly it's easy to do so, the all-powerful Ballon d'Or winner and the maligned manager so effortlessly fitting the profiles of conflicting characters in a time-honoured narrative: the alpha dog versus the strong-willed newcomer. Hollywood films such as Coach Carter are built on this stuff.

Yet if you've browsed through the headlines on Ronaldo and Benitez, you could be forgiven for thinking the new coach had disrespected the Portuguese's mother, insulted his country of birth and compared his haircut with Barry Venison's.

The reality? Benitez ruled out a Ronaldo goal in training and finished the session at Melbourne's distinctive AAMI Park with a drill the star forward wasn't particularly fond of. Thirty-seven seconds of footage used to depict a relationship. Thirty-seven.

What's that saying about a little bit of knowledge being a dangerous thing?  

Consequently, Benitez has already been forced to defend his relationship with Real Madrid's dominant figure.

"He has great quality and that's what makes him the best player in the world," Benitez said of Ronaldo, relayed by AS, some viewing his comment as contradictory to that he made a few days earlier. "I wish all the players had the same enthusiasm to compete and win. He shows this on a day-by-day basis and I'm delighted with him."

When quizzed further on the matter, Benitez continued: "My relationship with him is the same as the rest of the players. I speak to them all. There are those who are speculating on this or that but I can assure you that the relationship is totally normal."

Naturally, each individual's perception of tension between Ronaldo and Benitez based on this footage will likely be determined by what they were looking for when coming across it. Those who'd been convinced there'd be issues between the pair will feel their stance is justified; those who believe these Coach Carter narratives are blown out of proportion will probably view the "incident" as nothing more than a mind-bogglingly driven athlete showcasing a relentless craving to win. 

Inevitably playing into this is a string of previous incidents or precedents that are used to mount a case and build the story's background. Among them: Ronaldo's expression of affection for Benitez's predecessor, Carlo Ancelotti; Ronaldo's criticism of the methods used by club president Florentino Perez, the man who appointed Benitez; the falling out between Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho, the sort of authoritarian manager Benitez is; suggestions Benitez wants to build his side around Gareth Bale; and the perception of Ronaldo as an egotist.

PAUL CROCK/Getty Images

Here's the thing, though: There might be tension between the pair; this could be an early warning sign for Real Madrid. At the same time, it might not be. 

Regardless, the use of a few seconds of footage to establish a judgement on the dynamic is utterly ridiculous. Picture it in your own circumstances: Could we garner an accurate reflection of your relationship with your boss/colleague/team-mate/friend/family member based on a snapshot—a tiny piece of video lasting a few moments that provides absolutely no context?

What's more, training-ground disagreements are extremely common. Elite sporting environments create charged atmospheres, professional athletes carrying a cocktail of motivation, belief, confidence and testosterone that sometimes boils over. Conflicts, if you want to call them that, are regular—this writer has seen it firsthand, having once worked in such an environment—but they aren't always indicative of an underlying problem.

So let's save the snap judgements on Ronaldo's feelings toward Benitez, or Benitez's toward Ronaldo. A few seconds of footage can be very much like that dangerous little bit of knowledge.