Both Have Big Names In Portugal, Miguel Oliveira: It's Unfair That I'm Equated With Ronaldo

Miguel Oliveira (Instagram.com/@88migeloliveira)

JAKARTA - Red Bull KTM racer, Miguel Oliveira has a classy popularity in his home country, Portugal. This also makes him often juxtaposed with Manchester United footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo who comes from the same country.

However, Oliveira actually showed an unexpected reaction. He chose to be humble and felt that he still could not match the popularity of the mega star in his country.

Quoted from Speedweek, Thursday, July 28, Oliveira and Ronaldo have several of the same sponsors so that they both starred in television commercials together. However, Oliveira is humble when compared to Ronaldo.

"It's not fair if you compare anyone to Cristiano Ronaldo. He is a sportsman who has the most followers on social media. He has his own world, although I am also very well known," said Oliveira.

In his career in motorcycle racing, Oliveira has never won a world title in a Grand Prix. However, his popularity has skyrocketed since he competed in MotoGP in 2019.

In the 2015 Italian Moto3 at Mugello, Oliveira became the first Portuguese rider to win a Grand Prix. Since then, he is expected to represent his country in the MotoGP class, moreover he successfully won the runner-up title in the same year, as well as in Moto2 2018.

Oliveira's achievements made Portugal even more proud when he was able to secure the first victory for Tech 3 KTM at the Styria MotoGP, Austria, in 2020. Thanks to this achievement, he received more and more support.

Not only from the fans, support also came from many local sponsors in Portugal. As a result, Oliveira was increasingly known to the public.

However, he didn't want the fame to make him feel too much. Although on the other hand Oliveira also realizes that contribution to his country will be accompanied by fame.

"I don't see myself as a superstar or a popular person. However, I certainly have a role that has earned me great attention from the Portuguese people. They appreciate me for raising our country's flag in this event," he said.

Oliveira, who also works as a dentist, stated that his skyrocketing popularity was not a negative thing. He realized it was something that came along with his profession as an athlete.

The 27-year-old rider is also happy that MotoGP is getting more and more popular in Portugal. Even so, he admits that his personal life has been affected because at this time he is no longer free to move outside the home because there are always people who recognize him.

"This is not a bad thing, but a consequence of my work. Moreover, it is a privilege for me to be able to have support from my own country. The Portuguese fans are amazing. Year after year, I see this sporting community continue to grow. MotoGP is an important sport in Portugal. People people talk about it more and more," he said.

"I have a lot of fans in Portugal, so it's almost impossible to cross the street without people recognizing me. It's also because I have a lot of personal sponsors who run a lot of campaigns. If you go to a gas station, you'll probably see my picture on a giant billboard. , it is very difficult to remain anonymous," said Oliveira.