But we start with the inexplicable soap opera saga of Cristiano Ronaldo. 

At 37, soon to be 38, this season with Manchester United probably was going to be his last in a top-flight European league. 

This World Cup, his fifth, certainly was going to be his last appearance in that tournament. 

All he had to do to collect a few hundred million more in salary and endorsements on his way out the door was to keep quiet and play. 

Then he could retire to a life of counting his money, commissioning statues of himself and living out his days as an iconic, larger-than-life hero.