It’s a normal day; a day like any other. Cristiano Ronaldo is disguised as a beggar, and no one on the streets of a plaza in Madrid, Spain knows it’s him. He bumps into people and deliberately pardons his actions as he jogs away with a soccer ball at his feet. A few people have gathered at the sight of witnessing a beggar perform such remarkable stunts. With a strong kick, he launches the ball into the air, sending it to fall on the nape of his neck. He then lays on the ground, keeping the ball balanced. He takes it off and begins doing some incredible feats that seem almost impossible for him to do. He tries to get other people to join the play, but instead he is ignored by them. After playing with a little boy for a while, he takes out a pen, signs the ball, and hands it to him. Then, he takes off his beard, his mustache, and the rest of his facial hair… only to reveal the face of Cristiano Ronaldo, the most famous soccer player in the world as well as the best, considered by many. The little boy begins crying of joy, and by then, an enormous crowd has formed around Cristiano, wanting to get a selfie with him or at least a touch of him. A tremendous change has taken place. When he was disguised as a beggar, nobody paid any attention to him, but now that they know that it’s the one and only Cristiano, the whole world is head and heels over him. What has just occurred here?

With 209 million followers on Instagram, Cristiano Ronaldo is considered by many one of the most famous soccer players ever. But that leaves one question open: “Who is the best?” Many fans say that Argentine Lionel Messi is the best, while others strongly argue that it is Cristiano. Nevertheless,  if either were seen on the streets, the people would receive them as if they were gods of some sort. I, myself, am included  as I am one of the greatest fans of both of the talented men. When it comes to hearing the name of either of them, I get very excited. I know it’s not only me, because others do it as well. If I had been in the place of all the people in the plaza, I would’ve definitely fallen for Cristiano’s prank because I would’ve never suspected that it was him.

If Cristiano hadn’t been wearing a disguise and hewent strolling through the streets in his normal clothes, then everything would’ve been very different. Fans everywhere would immediately recognize him. And why is this… or what is this? The answer is fame.

Fame highly affects the way that people treat you. If you’re someone that is well-known, the crowd is inclined to hold you in high regard, but if you are someone of a lesser status, people aren’t attracted to you as much. Like most things, fame has its advantages and its disadvantages. Kristen Stewart, actress in various movies such as The Twilight Saga, is credited for saying: “The strange part about being famous is you don’t get to give first impressions anymore. Everyone already has an impression of you.” This means that because of being of famous, people already think they know you before they even meet you.

 Cristiano Ronaldo’s action of going out on the streets wearing a disguise proves a very valuable point. It proves that fame changes the complete meaning of the way that people treat you and why they treat you that way. Fame is not always what it seems. It’s very peculiar that something as little as fame can bring out the inner person that is deep within our souls. Some of you reading this right now may be criticizing the self-centered actions of the people in Madrid while not yet placing yourself in their position. So go ahead and ask yourself this: “ What would I have done if a beggar kicked a soccer ball my way, beckoning me to play soccer with him for a minute or two?”