McKayla Maroney knows how Cristiano Ronaldo feels.
The Portuguese striker lost out on the 2012 UEFA Best Player in Europe award to Spain's Andres Iniesta. Despite a La Liga title for Real Madrid to go along with 63 goals, Ronaldo was shut out once again. And he couldn't help but show some disappointment. For those who weren't watching the awards ceremony, Ives Galarcep of soccerbyives.net tweeted a photo of Ronaldo's expression as Iniesta accepted the award.
Strangely, Ronaldo's scowl resembled that of McKayla Maroney, the American gymnast who let loose a facial expression that would become an internet sensation as she accepted her silver medal in London. For both Ronaldo and Maroney, the expression speaks to the extreme depths of their disappointments.
Largely considered one of the best players of his generation, Ronaldo has often been relegated to second fiddle. He's watched as Leo Messi of Barcelona won the last two FIFA Ballon d'Or awards, and he and his Portugal teammates have been witnesses as their Spanish rivals make the most successful soccer run of all time.
But at the end of the day, it's hard to fault these two for expressing the slightest disappointment. These are a pair of uber-competitive, world class athletes who narrowly lost out on an incredible honor. Many of us would not have nearly this much composure in the same situation.
