Cristiano Ronaldo tells Portuguese what they want to know: he is ready

Pelé calls him ‘the best player in the world’ but can he fulfill one remaining goal and win a trophy with Portugal at the World Cup?

• The Guardian, Sunday 15 June 2014 22.44 BST

Cristiano Ronaldo has declared himself 100% fit and ready to face Germany in Portugal's opening game. Photograph: Francisco Leong/AFP/Getty Images

Ever since leaving for the World Cup there has only been one question hanging over Portugal. A big question. Cristiano Ronaldo, though he kept a roomful of journalists waiting for more than an hour for his scheduled press conference, was eventually able to answer it himself. “I would like to be 110% fit but I am 100% fit and that should be enough to help the national team,” the Portugal captain said. “I am here to help, I believe I can make a difference, but one player is not a team. I cannot carry the national side on my own.”

If that might be termed a secondary question about Portugal, it has been hanging over them for a few years now. Ronaldo having outshone his perennial rival Lionel Messi over the course of last season, Portugal begin the World Cup against Germany with the world’s best player in their midst, a situation that last pertained when Eusébio helped them to third place in England in 1966.

“Having the best player in the world in our squad does not make it mandatory for us to win the World Cup,” said Portugal’s coach, Paulo Bento. “I have said this before to the people of Portugal. There have been times when we have had the world’s best player and not even qualified for the World Cup.”

International football is an arena where Ronaldo consistently outscores Messi. Whereas the latter seems to save his most scintillating performances for Barcelona and to date has struggled to be anything like as effective for Argentina, Ronaldo is unquestionably Portugal’s main man. Captain, record goalscorer, most recognisable performer and currently biggest injury concern, he dominates Portuguese football to a degree that is almost unhealthy.

Actually, there is no need to be so circumspect. Portugal’s reliance on a player Carlo Ancelotti described as “extraordinarily consistent” after finishing as Champions League top scorer for a second successive season is definitely unhealthy. Next to “the best player on the planet” (Diego Maradona, 2012), Portugal’s other forward options look positively weedy.

Hélder Postiga, Nani and Hugo Almeida have their virtues but they are not going to kick sand in anyone’s face, with the possible exception in Almeida’s case of lacklustre Ireland in last week’s final friendly. Most people are slightly surprised to find they are still around, such is the forcefield effect that Ronaldo’s presence on the pitch exerts.

Nowhere was this better demonstrated than in Portugal’s play-off success over Sweden, the other international side fuelled almost exclusively by the gifts of a single player. All too predictably, and far from inaccurately, the showdown was billed as a contest to decide which extravagant individual talent would have to sit out the World Cup.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic did his bit, scoring twice in the decisive game, but it was not enough because Ronaldo weighed in with a memorable three. Almost by himself Ronaldo took Portugal to Brazil, although it sometimes feels that Ronaldo takes himself to the major tournaments and Portugal merely turn up as part of his entourage.

At the end of his first season at Manchester United the winger played in the 2004 European Championship final against Greece, an up-and-coming talent just beginning to impress old hands such as Luís Figo, Rui Costa, Deco and Ricardo Carvalho. He has since moved from the wing to centre stage in every sense, accepting responsibility to lead the attack and create goals and more often than not proving successful. “Portugal depend a lot on Ronaldo,” Figo said, a little unnecessarily. “He is the No1.”

Within Portugal there is no doubt about that. Even on the world stage he has a significant backer in Pelé, who rates him more highly than Messi on the grounds that Ronaldo is a more direct attacking handful for defenders to deal with. “Messi comes from behind like I used to do,” Pelé said. “Ronaldo is more important because he is the player who scores goals from the front.” For Argentina at least Messi has been known to blend into the background, and recognising that as a failing Alejandro Sabella has attempted to build his side around the Barcelona forward’s talents.

Portugal have been playing a support act to Ronaldo for years and the Real Madrid player, at 29, as long as he can stay fit, is at the right age to make his strongest impact yet on a World Cup. Certainly Sir Alex Ferguson, who brought him to England in 2003, believes he is at the peak of his powers. “In the six years we had him at Manchester United you saw his game grow all the time,” Ferguson said. “Now you see the complete player.”

The only doubt surrounding Ronaldo’s contribution to this World Cup is over his fitness. He has tendonosis in his left knee as well as a separate muscular problem in his left thigh, and while they are not the sort of injuries that would rule him out of a tournament they may render him less explosive and therefore less effective. A team that has grown so dependent on a single star player could struggle in a difficult group if he is below his best.

The nation breathed a sigh of relief when Ronaldo played for an hour against Ireland and performed with such conviction that the injury question was set aside, yet while he now seems certain to start against Germany, there are no guarantees he will complete that game or be completely untroubled in the ones that follow.

Perhaps rashly, Ronaldo once said he would be fully content with his career only when he had won a trophy with Portugal. He is not exactly running out of time, it is just that Portugal’s development is not keeping pace with his own. Leaving aside the fitful and frequently distracted Nani, whose shortcomings are familiar to Manchester United supporters, the next most stellar presence in the Portuguese side is probably João Moutinho, a midfielder who joined Monaco from Porto for around £20m at the start oflast season and has been a regular international since the 2006 World Cup.

Moutinho was one of the most eye-catching players in Portugal’s run to the semi-finals of the European Championships two years ago but his first season in France has not gone well. L’Equipe voted him among their five biggest disappointments of the season after a promising start at Monaco tailed off into anonymity, and even when playing well Moutinho has never been a prolific goalscorer for club or country. William Carvalho, an Angolan-born defensive midfielder, is rapidly making a name for himself and should feature in Brazil whether Paulo Bento opts for the usual 4-3-3 or a more defensive 4-4-2, but with Ricardo Quaresma not even making the squad Portugal would be short of width and attacking inspiration should their regular source of ideas find himself compromised.

As an unapologetic show-off with a repertoire of tricks and a reputation for conning referees, Ronaldo has always divided opinion and did little to enhance his popularity rating among neutrals with his ridiculously over the top celebration after scoring from the penalty spot when Real Madrid won their 10th European Cup last month. The only thing funnier than Ronaldo taking the chance to show off his finely-honed torso after scoring a practically meaningless goal was Rio Ferdinand’s attempts to defend him.

Apparently it is reasonable to act like that if you have a supermodel girlfriend. Ferdinand was on firmer ground explaining what drives his former team-mate. “He is an exhibitionist,” the former England defender said. “His ego is gargantuan.” In Salvador on Sunday, Ronaldo bridled a little when asked if he needed a World Cup to complete his career. “I don’t think I have to show anyone anything,” he said. “Look at my statistics, my resume. I don’t have to demonstrate anything to anyone. All I want to do is continue my career.”

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New Graceland Hotel Approved

The proposed Guest House at Graceland would be built on the west side of Elvis Presley Boulevard if Elvis Presley Enterprises gains approval.

The Memphis-Shelby County Land Use Control Board approved a proposal from Elvis Presley Enterprises to build a 450-room hotel on the same side of Elvis Presley Boulevard as the historic Graceland mansion, one of the city's top tourism sites.

The project faced no opposition at the Thursday, June 12, LUCB meeting, and City Council member Harold Collins said the hotel would provide much-needed economic investment in the community while complementing major upgrades to Elvis Presley Boulevard, the primary artery in Whitehaven.'I want to rise and say this particular project will generate up to $70 million in the inner city', Collins said. 'Very seldom does the inner city get an opportunity where a private developer will invest that kind of money in the community'.

The 450-room hotel, which will include meeting spaces and a restaurant and bar, would be the biggest hotel in Memphis outside the Downtown area, including the Hilton in East Memphis and Hotel Memphis on Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Parkway Village. The hotel plan will still need approval from the council, but that appears to be a lock.

Collins said the hotel project comes as welcome news to most Whitehaven residents and stakeholders, who, for years, have yearned for investments on Elvis Presley Boulevard.

Collins – who was instrumental in securing the $43 million in local, state and federal funding for streetscape improvements on Elvis Presley Boulevard between Brooks Road and Shelby Drive – said the hotel would allow for more tourists to stay in Whitehaven and support businesses in the area.The approval of the hotel plans happened after New York-based Authentic Brands Group LLC in November completed its purchase of a majority of Elvis Presley Enterprises from CORE Media Group, which had acquired a majority stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises from CKX Inc.

CKX had proposed a massive, $250 million investment in Graceland and the surrounding area, including hotels, a new visitor center and extensive exhibit upgrades. The company began aggressively acquiring properties around the mansion before the 'Great Recession' tightened its grip on the global economy and many of the plans were put on hold.

The new hotel appears to be part of a broader effort by Authentic Brands to invest in Graceland. Authentic Brands officials have spoken in broad terms about Graceland upgrades but have revealed few details.

The first sign of new life in the development plan occurred in March, when Elvis Presley Enterprises filed a $670,000 permit application with the city-county Office of Construction Code Enforcement to build a new 'studio building' also on land north of the mansion.

The permit is for property at 3674 Elvis Presley Blvd., which had been a car lot in the past and was bought by EPE in 2006 in anticipation of the CKX expansion.

This site plan shows the proposed Guest House at Graceland's intersection paving that would celebrate Elvis Presley Boulevard. The property would keep many trees for its resort setting. -

See more at: http://graceland.elvis.com.au/new-graceland-hotel-approved.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+elvis_presley+%28Elvis+News+from+Elvis+Australia%29#sthash.GDIyvp2I.dpuf

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World's first heritage sites

Yellowstone National Park, United States          Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is one of the few remaining large, intact ecosystems in the planet's northern temperate zone. The Yellowstone River is shown here.

(CNN) -- Checking off the world's most important natural and cultural wonders can be a herculean task.

The World Heritage List -- that most lauded and recognizable of preservation lists -- includes nearly 1,000 sites all over the world.

That number will almost certainly increase when the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization meets June 15-25 in Qatar.

Instead of sorting through that encyclopedic list, why not start at the very beginning with the first 12 sites?

The Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, Yellowstone National Park in the United States and the Island of Goree in Senegal were among the 12 sites named to the first list in 1978.

Only countries that sign the convention creating the World Heritage Committee and list can nominate sites, and that was just 40 countries when the first nominations came out. Thirty-six years later,191 nations have signed the convention.

"There is an incredible diversity of sites both natural and cultural around the world," said Mechtild Rossler, deputy director of UNESCO's World Heritage Centre, a 22-year veteran of the organization. "The beauty of this convention is that the text defining natural and cultural heritage is very broad."

Being named to the list is a big deal. Government officials work for years to prepare their nominations, and preservation officials hope for those designations to support their work. And what tourist site doesn't tout its World Heritage Site designation?

While we wait to learn the newest members of this prestigious list, here are the first 12 World Heritage sites, listed in the order in which they are listed in the minutes of the September 1978 meeting in Washington.

L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Park, Canada

What's left of the 11th-century Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Park on the island of Newfoundland in Canada is the earliest evidence of the first European presence in North America.

Excavations have found timber-framed, peat-turf buildings like those found in Iceland and Norse Greenland during the same period. It's the first and only known Viking site in North America. The site was protected by the government of Canada in 1977, just a year before its inclusion on the World Heritage List.

Nahanni National Park, Canada

Located in Canada's Northwest Territories along the South Nahanni River and the Flat River, Nahanni National Park was protected as a national park by Canada in 1972.

Nahanni includes almost every known type of North American river and stream, enormous waterfalls, granite peaks, deep canyons, a unique limestone cave system and evidence of ancient rivers. Some 40 types of mammals and 170 bird species call this park home.

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

The 19 islands and surrounding marine reserve that are theGalapagos Islands are part of a unique archipelago of unusual animals, plant life and seismic activity that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

Located about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the South American continent where three currents meet in the Pacific Ocean, the Galapagos host an intriguing collection of animal and plant life. Residents include the blue-footed booby, giant tortoises, flightless cormorants and marine iguanas.

Some 97% of the total emerged surface was declared a National Park in 1959. The Galapagos Marine Reserve was created in 1986 with an area of 70,000 kilometers and was expanded to 133,000 kilometers in 1998.

City of Quito, Ecuador

Named for the Quitus, who lived in the area before the Spanish conquest, the capital city of Ecuador was built in the 16th century on the ruins of an Incan city. Despite many earthquakes, Quito's historic center is quite well-preserved.

See the style of the Baroque school of Quito, a fusion of European and indigenous elements, in the monasteries of San Francisco and Santo Domingo and the Church and Jesuit College of La Companía. Built in the old Spanish style, the cathedral, archbishop's palace, government palace and city hall face onto the city's main square.

Simien National Park, Ethiopia

Incredible mountain peaks, deep valleys and rare animals callSimien National Park home. You'll find the Walia ibex (a goat found nowhere else in the world), the rare Gelada baboon and Simien fox. There are also leopards, spotted hyenas, jackals and 400 bird species.

The park holds incredible significance because of its biodiversity, with views said to rival the Grand Canyon in the United States. However, it was established in an area inhabited by people and faces human and livestock demands on its resources.

Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela, Ethiopia

At a time when Muslim conquests made it impossible for Christians to make pilgrimages to the Holy Land, King Lalibela decided in the 12th century to build a "New Jerusalem" in the mountain region of Ethiopia. The 11 medieval, monolithic cave churches of the 13th century are the result.

The churches were hewn from rock, and doors and windows and other parts of the structures were chiseled out. There's also an extensive system of passages, ditches, caves and catacombs.

Lalibela's churches and traditional village are still a place of pilgrimage and devotion where the faithful flock to celebrate the important dates of the Ethiopian Christian calendar.

Aachen Cathedral, Germany

The Frankish royal estate of Aachen in western Germany had served as a spa since the first century. Soon after Charlemagne took over the government in AD 768, he made the estate his permanent residence and turned it into a center of religion and culture.

Emperor Charlemagne´s own Palatine Chapel was the first vaulted structure north of the Alps since Antiquity. The chapel was considered an artistic wonder from its creation. It had bronze doors, columns of Greek and Italian marble and a grand mosaic (now destroyed).

The unification of the West under Charlemagne is symbolized in part by the construction of the chapel between 793 and 813. Charlemagne was buried there in 814, and 200 years later, he was canonized -- attracting pilgrims to the site.

Krakow's historic center, Poland

The former capital city of Poland, Krakow's historic center has its roots in the 13th century as a merchants' town with Europe's largest market square and one of the oldest university quarters in Europe.

Boleslaw the Chaste ordered the old city, called Stare Miasto, be laid out in a strict grid of orthogonal streets in 1257, when he decided to unify the different peoples around the Wawel, a hill inhabited since Paleolithic times and site of the Royal Wawel Castle, which now houses a museum. The beginnings of the castle date back to the 11th century, and there are remnants of fortifications dating back to the 14th century.

The Wawel also contains the Royal Treasury and the Gothic cathedral of St. Wenceslas, which hosted many important events for the Polish royal families, including coronations, weddings and funerals.

Separate from Stare Miasto, the old district of Kazimierz was the city's Jewish quarter. Kazimierz's Jewish community of 64,000 individuals was deported to Auschwitz. Only 6,000 returned after World War II ended.

Wieliczka and Bochnia Salt Mines, Poland

While the Wieliczka and Bochnia Salt Mines in Poland are excellent examples of mining techniques from the 13th to the 20th centuries, there is much more in their underground chambers than a historical ode to the mining of salt.

Areas excavated for salt were turned into storehouses, workshops and chapels, with statues and other decorations carved into the rock salt. Tourists have visited the site since the early 19th century.

Island of Goree, Senegal

From the 15th century through the 19th century, an estimated 20 million Africans passed through the Island of Goree, the largest slave-trading center on the African coast.

Ruled first by the Portuguese and followed by the Dutch, English and French, the island just two miles off the coast houses the elegant homes of the slave traders and the horrific cells in which captured Africans were held before being shipped to the Americas. The Dutch-built House of Slaves, which dates back to 1776, is the last surviving slave house on the island.

Listed as a historical site by the colonial administration in 1944, Goree didn't have any subsequent construction that might have damaged the historic elements of the island. Senegal gained its independence in 1960, and the island was inscribed on the independent nation's national heritage list in 1975.

Mesa Verde National Park, United States

Spectacular structures of the Pueblo Nation in southwest Colorado are protected at Mesa Verde National Park, where ancient Pueblo dwellings dating from the 6th to the 12th century are still standing at an altitude of more than 8,000 feet.

There are impressive villages built on the Mesa top and imposing cliff dwellings built of stone. There is evidence of advanced knowledge of building techniques and irrigation, crucial to surviving in the land in which the Pueblo Nation lived.

Yellowstone National Park, United States

Established as the United States' first national park in 1872,Yellowstone National Park is one of the few remaining large, intact ecosystems in the northern temperate zone on Earth.

Yellowstone has more than 10,000 thermal features -- about half of all thermal features in the world. It has more than 300 geysers, a volcano and many waterfalls.

The park is also home to the few remaining members of the wild, continuously free-ranging bison herd that once roamed the Great Plains.