Severe criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal, this star does not deserve before the World Cup in light of what he suffers in Manchester United, and following everything he has done for Portuguese football.
-
Criticism of Ronaldo is useless and incorrect
“A little Ronaldo, a lot of Portugal”, the headline on the cover of the Portuguese newspaper “A Bola” a few days ago, was enough to cause controversy and cause a sensation in Portugal, at a time when the Portuguese national team was playing in the European Nations League.
Ronaldo played the two matches once morest the Czech Republic and Spain and did not score any goal. In 10 matches he participated in this season, he scored only one goal with his team, Manchester United. Loud voices in Portugal in the face of Ronaldo. It is one of the rare times, and perhaps the first time, that the best star in the history of Portuguese football finds himself facing sharp criticism in his country that reached the demand for his exclusion from the Portugal national team, less than two months before his participation in the Qatar World Cup 2022.
Ronaldo can still give
Of course, Ronaldo is not at his best, but that can be justified. Those who criticize Ronaldo forgot that United coach, Dutchman Eric Ten Hag, does not start with him in most matches, which would affect the level of any player, as he needs to play permanently.
Also, the narrative that Ronaldo has reached the age of 37 does not help his critics to say that he is no longer useful, and space must be made for a new generation of talent. Ronaldo himself, regarding a year ago, was crowned top scorer in the European Championship 2021 by scoring 5 goals, and became the best scorer in the history of the tournament, surpassing the French Michel Platini, and he was also crowned the best scorer in history for the national teams, and then, during his first season following returning to United, he kept scoring goals He scored 18 goals in third place in the top scorers in the English Premier League, despite his 36 years at the time.
So, Ronaldo is still capable of giving, and it is unbelievable that in a matter of months he can no longer score as before, and how can he do that when he is not given the opportunity from Ten Hag?
Ronaldo’s departure from Manchester United, as he had intended this summer, would have seemed very suitable for the Portuguese star to maintain his goal-scoring system and stay at the same level, especially since he found himself following staying with the team on the bench.
Useless and incorrect criticism
However, criticism at this time of Ronaldo seems useless and incorrect. Useless because he does not expect Portugal coach Fernando Santos to remove his first star, or at least, to play a secondary role in the World Cup in light of the excellent relationship between them, which is due to their leadership of Portugal to crown its only title historically when it won the European Cup in 2016, on After his injury in the first minutes of the final once morest France, Ronaldo stood by Santos, motivating his colleagues and even giving them instructions on how to play.
It will also be a great adventure at this time for Santos by excluding Ronaldo; Given his moral weight, experience and extensive experience that the Portuguese national team needs in a major tournament, in addition to his technical weight that will not fade no matter how criticized, as it is not easy for a player to replace Ronaldo.
The criticisms are also incorrect, in terms of timing, that is, before the start of the World Cup, as it is more useful for the Portuguese to embrace their star and support him to restore his level, especially in light of all that he suffers from in Manchester United, and more for what he presented to the Portugal national team and Portuguese football.
Before Portugal’s last two matches in the Nations League, the Portuguese Football Federation held a ceremony to honor its players, including Ronaldo. At the time, Ronaldo said that he aspired to play for Portugal in the European Championship in 2024. This is what the Portuguese should hear from a star of Ronaldo’s value, not criticize him.