4 Things All Traders Can Learn From Cristiano Ronaldo

Introduction

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players in the game of football [soccer]– he is believed to be the greatest footballer ever in some quarters. Whether you think he is one of the greatest or that he is the greatest, there's no denying the fact Cristiano Ronaldo is a living legend in the game of football, he has broken records and went ahead to set new records.

Cristiano Ronaldo is a demigod in his field and I think that traders and investors could learn a couple of things by studying what makes him special. By the way, Cristiano Ronaldo is an athlete but he has close ties to the financial and investment communities. He is into real estate with a chain of hotels called Pestana Hotel Group, he is into retail, and he is has confirmed that the official ambassador for Xtrade. 

While commenting on the deal with Xtrade, Ronaldo says, “There is no easy way to become the world’s best. The only way is through perseverance, practice, and more practice – until perfection.”

Xtrade also created an educational center for its rookie and professional traders to get all the information they need in order to become the best.

This piece seeks to cover four important things that all traders can learn from Cristiano Ronaldo.

1. Don't set mediocre goals/targets

This first lesson comes from Ronaldo’s debut for Manchester United against Bolton Wanderers. He was just a scrawny Portuguese teenager in a strange country but he was so full of confidence that it was obvious that he had great ambitions. He was fearless, he did lots of showboating, and no amount of tackling would make him lose the ball to the opponent. When he was asked about his performance, he didn't mince words about his desire to become the best footballer ever and that was the only thing he worked towards.

What traders can learn: Trading has the odds traditionally stacked against traders because you are competing with the market on the one hand, and competing with other traders on the other hand. However, traders should not lose their capacity to have big dreams, "unrealistic" targets, and a desire to beat the market. I'm not advocating throwing caution to the wind and gambling instead of making educated trades/investments. However, many traders come to the market with a mediocre mindset just to make a little gain and not to lose their money. Shoot for the moon, if you miss it, you'll land among the stars.

2. To be the best you need to be passionate

From age 12, people told Ronaldo that he was talented but they were skeptical because he was skinny. Cristiano Ronaldo knew that he was talented but he had an uphill task ahead of him to prepare his body and to hone his skills to perfection. It was said that he lived out in the gym, stayed longer on the pitch than the training times required, and then strap weights to his legs to practice some moves. He also took the time to learn all there is about the technicalities of the game of football and he would practice the same move for days at a stretch until he mastered it.

What traders can learn: If you really want to be an exceptional trader or investor, you'll need to be passionate about the art of trading and investment. You should learn all you can learn about the financial markets, study the trades of the greats in the market, and understand all the factors that could influence your trades in the market. Beginners especially need to devote hours to practice trading in order to gain experience on what to do in different trading scenarios.

3. Accept your mistakes as a part of the process

It was said that when Ronaldo arrived in England, he played as an individual instead of doing what was best for the team. It took a dressing down from the fans, the English press, and reorientation from the coaching crew to get him straightened out. Ronaldo has also missed an important number goals that could have decided victory for his team, and he has had his fair share of bashing and booing from fans of his clubs and fans of opposing teams.

However, Ronaldo has learned to take the mistakes as scoresheets showing the weakness in his game – the highlight of the weakness provides him with an opportunity to improve.

What traders can learn: None of us can go through life without making mistakes. The mistakes of traders are usually the worse because it costs them money in losses. Mistakes are as inevitable in the financial markets because hundreds of factors beyond your control could turn the market upside down in the twinkle of an eye. However, when you make trading mistakes and lose money, you should make sure that the mistake doesn’t kill your confidence; rather, the mistake should open your eyes to the understanding that you need to improve your mastery of the markets.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo Wins even when the chips are down

Last week, Ronaldo's Real Madrid FC went into the semifinals of the UEFA Champions league in a match against Wolfsburg FC. Real Madrid came into the game from a position of weakness because Wolfsburg had earlier won 2-0 during the first leg of the game. However, the winning mindset that Ronaldo possessed led him to deliver some heroics that ended the game in Real Madrid's favor. Ronaldo delivered a brilliant hat-trick that ended the game with a 3-2 aggregate win for Real Madrid.

What traders can learn: Sometimes traders and investors are faced with a rapid reversal in trade such that all the nerves in your body will be screaming for you to exit the market as you can. However, traders need to learn to avoid the herd mentality and to make educated trading decisions based on market fundamentals and technical indicators. The markets can still turn from a bearish trend to reward bullish plays if the fundamentals are intact.