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Alex KirklandGAMES GAMES
cristiano ronaldo – the winner of five Champions Leagues and five Ballon d’Ors as well as a player who has scored more than 800 career goals – now finds himself in uncharted territory.
A free agent since leaving Manchester United month ago his contract was terminated by mutual agreementhe was abandoned by Portugal for Tuesday World Cup draw round 16 with Switzerlandjust for replacement Goncalo Ramos to score a hat-trick in 6-1 . win.
Coach Fernando Santos claims the selection is based on “strategy”, rather than Ronaldo’s angry reaction to being substituted in Portugal’s final game against south Koreaalthough Santos had previously said of his captain’s outburst: “I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.”
The Portuguese Football Federation has even denied reports that things have escalated in camp ahead of Saturday’s quarter-final against Maroc. “FPF clarified that at no time did the captain of the national team, Cristiano Ronaldo, threaten to leave the national team at any stage in Qatar,” it said in a statement. “The level of commitment of Portugal’s most capped national team player was demonstrated once again … in the win over Switzerland.”
But it’s not the first time the striker has been at odds with a manager, club or team-mates during his record-breaking but often controversial 20-year career. Here are some of the high-profile controversies Ronaldo has been embroiled in during his two decades at the top.
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Ronaldo angrily supports Blatter’s insensitive comparison of “slaves” (July 10, 2008).
Ronaldo wants to leave MU Real Madrid that summer reached a new, historic high – or low – when Ronaldo echoed the comments made by then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter that it was against his will to keep a player at a club. they are comparable to “modern day slaves”. Ronaldo told Portuguese TV1: “It’s true. I agree with what the FIFA president has said. I know what I want and like. We have to see what happens. I don’t know where I will start in the season. next.” After five successful years at Old Trafford, Ronaldo was ready to leave, but United stood firm and the striker had to wait another season before his desire to move to the Bernabeu was finally fulfilled.
Ronaldo made a mid-match substitution at Old Trafford (December 6, 2008)
Ronaldo abruptly walked off the pitch – and straight down the tunnel – in the midst of Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Sunderland at Old Trafford. The whole team only played with 10 people when United’s coaching staff rushed to organize a surprise substitution. Coach Sir Alex Ferguson defends Ronaldosaid he received “a kick in the hip” and “Cristiano didn’t need to come off the bench” when he asked for immediate treatment, but it was clear that the player — who won His first Ballon d’Or earlier that week — increasingly ready for action.
Withdrawal in Derby caused Ronaldo’s head shake (May 10, 2009)
Ronaldo’s reaction to another substitution, this time in the heat of the Manchester derby, is the latest sign of the growing distance between him and the club. He had put United ahead of City with an 18th-minute free-kick — the first in a 2-0 victory — but when Ferguson decided to replace him with Paul Scholes at that hour, Ronaldo reacted very angry. He spent several minutes shaking his head in frustration on the bench in public, displeasure visible. That opening goal was his last for the club in 12 years.
Do not celebrate for “sad” Ronaldo (September 2, 2012)
Three years after finally getting the desired Real Madrid move, new signs of dissatisfaction have emerged. Ronaldo scored twice in the 3-0 LaLiga win over Granada, but is he happy? No, he doesn’t. The lack of a goal celebration for either goal raised eyebrows, and his mysterious post-match comments set off alarm bells. “I’m sad because of the technical problem, and the club know it,” Ronaldo revealed, mysterious. “That’s why I don’t celebrate my goal, because I’m not happy. The people here know why.” The striker declined to elaborate, and an explanation for his boredom will never be offered. Ronaldo later denied it was a money problem, but a bumper new contract finally signed a year later may have helped.
Mourinho responds to Ronaldo ‘knows everything’ (June 5, 2013)
Ronaldo and manager Jose Mourinho were close when they both first worked together at Real Madrid, but – according to a growing trend – their relationship deteriorated towards the end of the 2012–13 season, its final season. of Mourinho at the Bernabéu. Changing the dressing room after the Copa del Rey match against Valencia in January was the beginning of the final period and in June, after dropping the striker for the last few games of the season, Mourinho speaking to TV show Punto Pelota after leaving Los Blancos for a second spell at Chelsea that “Cristiano Ronaldo thinks he knows everything.”
Ronaldo prefers Ancelotti to Benitez (December 11, 2015)
Rafa Benitez only managed Real Madrid for six months after replacing Carlo Ancelotti in June 2015 and being sacked the following January, but there is still time for his relationship with Ronaldo to be scrutinized. There is speculation that the player is unhappy with his manager’s tactical approach, and Ronaldo full of praise to his predecessor Ancelotti – calling him an “unbelievable man” and a “great coach” (and, more endearingly, a “big bear”) with whom he “looks forward to working”. same again” probably doesn’t help. Benitez affirms that he and the star were still “adapting,” but there was no time for that: A month later, Benitez was gone.
Ronaldo was a substitute before moving to MU (August 22, 2021)
This is not the first World Cup where Ronaldo’s future is a notable distraction; just a few days before the 2018 final, he moved to Juventus after nine years in Madrid was announced. But, after three years in Turin, Ronaldo is ready to leave again. He was dropped from the team in the Italian giants’ Serie A opener for the 2021-22 season, a 2-2 draw at Udinese, after the notice asked not to start the match. Juventus have insisted that the striker stay, and Ronaldo himself has previously had branded reports linking him with a move back to Real Madrid such as “disrespectful.” However, just over a week later, he is on his way back to Manchester United on the last day of the transfer window as he has a lot to do with joining rivals Man City.
Ronaldo does not like the 3 defender diagram (January 19, 2022)
If we’ve learned anything so far, it’s that Ronaldo doesn’t want to be substituted. Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick discovered it when looking to defend the team’s 2-0 lead at brentford by replacing Ronaldo with Harry Maguire and move on to three defenders. Ronaldo is not one to change tactics, he threw his jacket on the ground as he left, before Rangnick had to speak. The response is “normal,” rangnick he said, added: “I said maybe when you’re head coach you’re hoping to make the same decision.” The coach was proven right: United went on to win 3-1.
‘Nonsense’ reports about Maguire’s captaincy match (February 18, 2022)
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Ralf Rangnick says there is no disagreement between Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo over the captaincy issue.
A month later, Rangnick was called on to dismiss claims of a rift between Ronaldo and defender Maguire as “complete nonsense.” The issue at stake is said to be United’s captaincy, with captain Maguire feeling threatened by Ronaldo’s overwhelming influence in the dressing room on young players. Rangnick sought to quell that, saying, “I’ve never spoken to any player about the possibility of a change of captaincy,” and insisted Maguire would continue in his role until end of the season.
The explosive interview forced Ronaldo to leave Old Trafford for the second time (November 13, 2022)
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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says Cristiano Ronaldo refused to be substituted in the match against Tottenham Hotspur.
After a start to the season in which Ronaldo’s goal tally dried up and his first-team spot was canceled by new coach Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo’s apparent frustration peaked on 21 October when older brother refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspurwalked down the tunnel and left Old Trafford before the final whistle sounded — which he also did in the pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano. His departure from United last month was finally sealed with an unrestricted interview with Piers Morgan. Ronaldo criticizes everyone at Old Trafford – says he has “no respect” for Ten Hag, feels “betrayed” by senior executives, “never heard of” Rangnick before he arrived and “has made no progress” since his first time at the club. If the full-scale takedown was designed to make his place at United untenable, it was a success, with the club agreeing to leave by mutual agreement.
The family defended Ronaldo after the ax of Portuguese public opinion (December 6, 2022)
You won’t be surprised to learn that Ronaldo was dropped by Portugal coach Fernando Santos because the 6-1 World Cup win didn’t go well for Ronaldo’s extended family.
“It’s a pity not to enjoy the best player in the world for 90 minutes,” partner Georgina Rodriguez said in an Instagram post that included a video of a series of cameras pointing at Ronaldo between the substitutes during the national anthem instead of the players lined up on the field. “Let’s hope God and your dear friend Fernando [Santos] work together and make us tremble [with emotion] last night.”
Meanwhile, Sister Elma Aveiro added in her Instagram story: “All he has done has been forgotten. It’s a shame to humiliate a man who has given so much.”
Despite all this, you still do not rule out the possibility that Ronaldo will play an important role for Portugal at this World Cup. Whatever happens next for him, you get the feeling that the movie is never far away.
