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Tag: Ronaldo

  • Ronaldo has damaged his legacy with ego tricks – Matthaus

    Ronaldo has damaged his legacy with ego tricks – Matthaus

    Germany World Cup-winning captain Lothar Matthaus believes Cristiano Ronaldo has hurt his “legacy” over the past month.

    Ronaldo has talked his way into a contract termination at Manchester United, while he also disappointed at the World Cup with Portugal.

    Matthaus told BILD: “With his ego tricks, Ronaldo has hurt the team and himself. There is no doubt that he was an amazing player and an absolutely deadly finisher. But now he has damaged his legacy. I have a hard time believing that he can find a place in a team. I feel a little sorry for Ronaldo.

    “Ronaldo is of course a major failure of the World Cup, the opposite of (Lionel) Messi. (Messi is) the absolute winner. He deserves it because he has given me and all the football fans great joy with his qualities and how he has played over 17-18 years. For me, Messi is the player of the millennium.”

  • Ronaldo leads 10 Portugal players shunning Santos after sack

    Ronaldo leads 10 Portugal players shunning Santos after sack

    Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo is among ten Portugal players who have not publicly responded after the dismissal of manager Fernando Santos.

    Santos was axed following their dismal World Cup exit at the hands of Morocco in the quarter-finals.

    Santos was sacked on Thursday following their 1-0 defeat to the North African side to cap off a tension-filled tournament dominated by Ronaldo, who did not seen eye-to-eye with his coach in Qatar amid issues with his behaviour – before he was dropped for the knockout games against Switzerland and Morocco.

    Now Portuguese outlets Record and A Bola have documented the divide among the squad – with ten stars failing to acknowledge Santos following his sacking, despite leading the team to Euro 2016 glory – as well as the Nations League in 2018-19.

    The other players who have followed Ronaldo in staying silent are Joao Cancelo – who has also had an uneasy relationship with Santos – Diogo Costa, Jose Sa, Diogo Dalot, Antonio Silva, Joao Palhinha, Ruben Neves, Ricardo Horta, and Rafael Leao.

  • Portugal sacks Ronaldo’s coach after World Cup quarter-final exit

    Portugal sacks Ronaldo’s coach after World Cup quarter-final exit

    The Portugal national team coach to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Fernando Santos has been sacked by officials of the Portuguese football Federation over his inability to get past the quarter-final stage at the Mundial.

    The former European champions crashed out of the 2022 World Cup, following a 1-0 defeat to Morocco in the quarter-finals.

    The 68-year-old  gaffer tinkered Portugal to 2016 European Championships triumph and subsequently won the maiden UEFA Nations League in 2018/2019.

    He was at the helm of affairs for eight years before being booted out on Thursday, December 15th.

    However, at the moment the Portuguese Football Federation (PFF) are now hunting for a new head coach ahead of their Euro 2024 campaign.

    Recall that Santos  dropped captain Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of his side’s last-16 clash against Switzerland and Morocco.

    Goncalo Ramos was used instead and the young chap scored a fantastic hattrick against Switzerland in the second round fixture.

    Portugal defeated eventually defeated Switzerland by 6-1 to progress to Quarter-final stage of the World Cup.

    Coach Santos lost patience with the 37-year-old following his angry reaction after being substituted against South Korea during the group stage.

    Ronaldo was however introduced in the second half of the quarter-final fixture against Morocco but unfortunately they crashed out and earned the Afro/Arab nation the contingent’s first semi-final representation.

    Reports say Christiano Ronaldo is training with Real Madrid of Spain’s facilities and may be heading to Saudi Arabia in January if the deal with Al-Hilal sees the light of the day.

  • Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Real Madrid

    Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Real Madrid

    Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo has been using Real Madrid’s training base to keep fit after Portugal’s World Cup exit.

    After his contract at Manchester United was cancelled last month, Ronaldo is free to join another club on 1 January.

    Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr have made a big-money offer for the 37-year-old forward, although it is understood he has other options.

    Ronaldo trained alone at Real’s Valdebebas base and there is no option of a return to the Spanish club.

    Ronaldo’s second spell at Manchester United was brought to a premature end after a controversial interview in which the five-time Ballon d’Or winner criticised the club and said he had “no respect” for manager Erik ten Hag.

  • Qatar 2022: Why Morocco may win World Cup – Ronaldo

    Qatar 2022: Why Morocco may win World Cup – Ronaldo

    Brazil legend, Ronaldo Nazario, has said that he wants Morocco to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar this year.

    Ronaldo said Morocco are united, adding that he likes the way the Atlas Lions attack and defend.

    According to him, he was supporting the North Africans at the 2022 World Cup.

    Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ronaldo said, “I would like them [Morocco] to win the World Cup. Everything is fantastic, how they attack, how they defend, how they are united.

    “And I am enchanted by the joy they have given their people and all of Africa, it is a joy that only football can give.”

    Morocco will tackle France in the World Cup semi-final tie on Wednesday night.

    Walid Regragui’s side head to the game after eliminating Portugal in the World Cup quarter-final.

  • Why Ronaldo won’t play again for Portugal – Ex-Man Utd defender

    Why Ronaldo won’t play again for Portugal – Ex-Man Utd defender

    Former Manchester United defender Paul McGrath believes Cristiano Ronaldo has played his last game for Portugal.

    After Portugal’s World Cup quarterfinal defeat to Morocco, McGrath wrote for the Sunday World: “Those who say that the top players don’t care about international football might change their mind on seeing Ronaldo’s tears as he walked down the tunnel last night.

    “He may have been earning half a million pounds a week at Manchester United, but those were the tears of a man who knew he had lost a last chance at winning something money cannot buy you: a World Cup winner’s medal.

    “Cristiano will be 41 by the time the next circus kicks off in North America in the summer, thankfully, of 2026.

    “He won’t be playing then. But would the great man be tempted to give it one last fling for the Euro 2024 Finals, only 18 months away?

    “He might and then he might not. First off, he has a Euro medal from six years ago, it was the World Cup one he wanted.

    “Secondly, Cristiano will certainly walk if Santos stays on as coach.

    “I’d say the relationship between the pair of them is broken beyond repair.

    “If a new boss were to come in and say to Cristiano, ‘Look, I want you to give it one more go under these conditions,’ yes, I think he’d be tempted.

    “But do Portugal need him? They have cracking young forwards in Goncalo Ramos, Joao Felix, and Rafael Leao.

    “Would the great Ronaldo, with all those goals, get in the way of their development, if he was still even a squad man with Portugal.

    “Probably. And that’s why a shock defeat to Morocco is likely to be the last we’ll ever see in international football of one of the greatest of them all.”

  • Qatar 2022: You can’t underestimate the best player’ – Ronaldo’s partner slams Santos

    Qatar 2022: You can’t underestimate the best player’ – Ronaldo’s partner slams Santos

    Cristiano Ronaldo’s partner Georgina Rodríguez has slammed Portugal’s coach for their shock World Cup defeat to Morocco on Saturday.

    Ronaldo came from the bench in their 1-0 defeat to Morocco in Qatar.

    The North African side became the first ever African nation to reach the semi-final stage of the FIFA World Cup.

    Ronaldo wept as he hurried down the tunnel after full-time of what is likely his last World Cup.

    Santos used the same starting XI that beat Switzerland 6-1 in the round of sixteen, meaning that the legendary Ronaldo began the game on the bench.

    “Today your friend and coach made the wrong decision,” Rodríguez posted on Instagram.

    “That friend for whom you have so many words of admiration and respect. The same one who, when putting you on the field, saw how everything changed, but it was too late.

    “You can’t underestimate the best player of the world, his most powerful weapon. Much less should one stand up for those who don’t deserve it.”

  • Many Brazilians do not support Brazil – Kaka

    Many Brazilians do not support Brazil – Kaka

    Former AC Milan star Kaka says Brazil fans at home would regard Ronaldo Nazario “as just fat man walking down the street”.

    Kaka was speaking from Qatar about Brazil’s support of their national team.

    Kaka declared: ‘It is strange to say this, but many Brazilians do not support Brazil. It happens sometimes. If you see Ronaldo walking around here, you’ll say ‘wow’, he’s got something different here.

    “In Brazil, he is just a fat man walking down the street.

    “Right now, a lot of people in Brazil are talking about Neymar, but in a negative way. Maybe it’s because of politics, but Brazilians sometimes don’t recognise our talents.”

    Asked if Ronaldo is not valued as much by Brazilians as he is in the rest of the world, Kaká replied: “Of course many Brazilians love Ronaldo, I love Ronaldo, but the way they respect him in Brazil and abroad is different, I see him more respected outside the country than there.”

  • Ronaldo never told me he wanted to leave – Ten Hag

    Ronaldo never told me he wanted to leave – Ten Hag

    Manchester United manager has revealed Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo never told him he wanted to leave Old Trafford until the interview with Piers Morgan.

    Ronaldo gave the controversial interview in November in which the 37-year-old also criticised the club and said he “felt betrayed”.

    The forward has since left United in a “mutually agreed” exit.

    “Until that moment he never told me ‘I want to leave’,” said Ten Hag

    Speaking to UK journalists for the first time about Ronaldo’s exit on United’s mid-season trip to Spain, Ten Hag said that once he saw the interview there was no way back for the player.

    “I have seen most of it,” the United manager said. “I have to do it. It is part of my job.

    “The interview, I think, as a club you can’t accept. To make that step he knew the consequences.

    “But before he never told me. Until that moment he never told me ‘I want to leave’.”

    “In the summer we had one talk,” said Ten Hag.

    “He came in and said ‘I will tell you in seven days if I want to stay’. He came back and said he did. Until that moment [the interview] I never heard anything [else].”

    Ten Hag insists he wanted Ronaldo to stay.

    “I like to work with world-class players,” he said. “I know they can make a difference and help you to achieve your objectives.

    “I wanted him to stay from the first moment until now. I did everything to bring him into the team because I value his quality. We wanted him to be part of our project and for him to contribute to Manchester United because he is a great player and has such a great history.”

  • It’s high time to leave Ronaldo alone – Portugal coach, Santos

    It’s high time to leave Ronaldo alone – Portugal coach, Santos

    Portugal coach Fernando Santos admits Cristiano Ronaldo was unhappy being dropped for victory over Switzerland.

    Ahead of their World Cup quarterfinal against Morocco on Saturday, Santos offered more details of his chat with the former Manchester United striker about his decision-making.

    He said, I think it’s high time to leave Ronaldo alone.

    “He has never told me that he wanted to leave our national team and I think it’s high time we stopped with this conversation, that we stop with the polemics.

    “I spoke to him after lunch on the day of the game and invited him into my office.

    “For obvious reasons Cristano was not very happy about it as he has always been the starting player. He told me: ‘Do you really think it’s a good idea?’ but we had a normal conversation in which I explained my viewpoints and of course he accepted them.

    “We had a frank and normal conversation.”