“Ronaldo! Ronaldo!”

By Firas Asbih, MD, Johns Hopkins Observership Program, with Carolina Musri, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine 

The air in St. Petersburg, Russia, buzzed with energy. The chants of thousands of fans, blaring horns, and the booming roar of “GOAL!” from overhead speakers turned the city into a football carnival. During the 2018 FIFA World Cup, I (Firas) volunteered with a medical team stationed by an ambulance near the stadium—ready to handle common medical issues ranging from dehydration to injuries related to fans’ overly-enthusiastic celebrations. 

One afternoon, a young man came hobbling over, limping heavily and pointing at his ankle. “Ronaldo! Ronaldo!” he kept shouting, his face tense with pain, eyes wide with urgency. 

We had difficulty understanding him. I asked him where he was from. The moment he replied, I recognized the accent—he was Arabic, and Arabic is my native language. 

I learned he’d tried to jump a barrier in the rush of excitement and rolled his ankle in the process. Struggling to describe his injury, he found the perfect reference that many football fans could comprehend: Ronaldo had suffered a similar injury that year. For context, Ronaldo (Cristiano Ronaldo) is one of the most famous and widely recognized football (soccer) players in the world, and his injuries are often headline news. “Ronaldo” became his metaphor for explaining his injured ankle. 

After we wrapped his ankle, we chatted briefly and laughed about how even pain couldn’t stop a true Ronaldo fan. Standing there beside the ambulance, with the crowd roaring in the background, it didn’t feel like a medical encounter. Rather, it was a moment of connection between two strangers brought together by the passion of football. 

This experience reminded me that medicine extends far beyond diagnoses and treatments—it’s also about meeting people where they are, listening beyond language, and understanding the context behind their words. Whether at the World Cup or in clinic, when we take the time to appreciate each patient’s unique way of communicating, we build trust and foster genuine connection. By embracing cultural references and personal stories, we can bridge gaps and deliver care that feels both compassionate and meaningful. 

Disclaimer: One of the authors is a devoted Lionel Messi fan but agreed to write about Ronaldo for the sake of this story. 

This piece expresses the views solely of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of any organization, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.