Cristiano Ronaldo overview & gameplay guide

Cristiano Ronaldo is a standout character in the CotW cast, for many reasons. As you’d expect of a football/soccer player, a lot of his game revolves around conjuring magical Balls that he kicks around in various ways, making him a monster at setplay, mix-ups, and even zoning when needed.

Ronaldo is truly a menace on offense, however. Once he sets up a Ball, he can knock it around with his other moves, using the Balls to play neutral, approach behind using his multiple advancing moves, or even mindgame the opponent. Knocking the opponent down lets Ronaldo set a Ball up to do anything, from setting up left-rights or high-lows, to pressuring while staying safe from reversals, forcing the opponent to make constant guesses on defense. Not only does this give Ronaldo among the best okizeme of the cast, but every combo from the Balls does insane damage, especially with meter.

Without access to Balls, though, Ronaldo begins to fall apart. He lacks strong, cancellable pokes that other characters have, leaving him with some really subpar options when he has no time to set up a Ball. He has an invincible DP (623P) and some absolutely obnoxious attacks even without the Ball, such as his far C and Low Dodge Attack — but with their flaws, you can’t always rely on them to get you out of a tight spot.

If you can overcome these weird quirks, you can enjoy a wholly unique character with a near-infinite skill ceiling. When you put in the time to learn Ball setups and are able to apply his tech and setplay in a real match, then you’ll really start to ball out with Ronaldo.