The World Cup builds legacy and also destroys them. Just ask Diego Maradona.

His image was in tatters after the 1990 World Cup, when he failed in the final and a series of drug-related stories tarnished his reputation as one of the world's greatest. But also look at 1986 when he changed history and became a living legend for two goals viewed with awe on opposing sides of the spectrum. This is the kind of pressure facing a number of players in the upcoming 2014 tournament. One of the men who will have to fan this fire is Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo as this will be his moment to shine.

In a previous article by Latin Post detailing Lionel Messi's conflict in Brazil, a quote by Mario Kempes was utilized to draw comparison with his perennial rival Ronaldo.

"Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't have many peers playing at his level and he doesn't have to answer questions about Maradona or Pele," said Kempes. "It's ridiculous that he 'must' win a World Cup. He is only human."

Kempes is of course referring to the debate about whether Messi belongs in the pantheon in which Pele and Maradona rest among soccer's greatest stars. But Ronaldo has his own idols to live up to.

Anyone remember Eusebio, the man who scored nine goals in a World Cup? Or Luis Figo, the crux of Portugal's run to the 2004 Euro Cup Final in Lisboa and then the leader of the Portugal squad that finished fourth in the 2006 World Cup? Or Pauleta, who used to hold the lead for most goals in a Portuguese sweater -- 47 -- before Ronaldo snatched the record from him? Pauleta scored four goals in World Cup play; Ronaldo has only scored two goals in his entire World Cup career. The first one was the second of a 2-0 win over Angola in the 2006 tournament; the second was the sixth of a 7-0 destruction of North Korea in 2010. What do those two goals have in common? They were irrelevant.

Ronaldo has the misfortune of being the only elite offensive player on Portugal's national side. But with his talents, a lot more is expected. Especially now.

While he may be nursing an injury, Ronaldo has played arguably his greatest soccer over the last 12 months. He put up 31 goals in 30 Spanish League matches this season while scoring a historic 17 Champions League goals in just 11 games; for the record, he scored in every single UCL game he contested this year. He also tallied three Copa del Rey goals to add to the totals. Overall, he notched 51 goals in just 47 appearances, his best goals-per-game average since putting up 60 in 55 games back in 2011-12.

At age 29, it is likely that this is the best form Ronaldo will have heading into a World Cup. He was probably younger and fresher in 2010, but he also lacked the experience of being the team leader. While things have not always gone his way in this position (he struggled throughout the qualifiers for example), Ronaldo has had his moments of rising to the occasion. He dominated the Dutch in the Euro 2012 and then topped the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. A bit of hubris in the penalty shootout probably hurt his team's chances against Spain, but Ronaldo's tournament was a huge success overall.

Real Madrid was dominant in the Champions League this year, but Ronaldo was a huge part of that and took teams apart on his own at times. If he can replicate that performance again in Brazil, there is no reason to doubt this team can make a deep run. A semifinals berth would probably help Ronaldo's legacy as one of the top stars ever to lace up the cleats.