While on the field, Portugal impressed against Switzerland, outside, the controversies are linked around Cristiano Ronaldo.
After being benched against Switzerland in the round of 16 of the World Cup, rumors of a new falling out between Cristiano Ronaldo and the selection punctuate the daily life of the Portugal team. After the game, the five-time Ballon d’Or player did not take part in the friendly match with the substitutes and some press reports suggested that the former Manchester United player wanted to leave the selection before the match against Switzerland on Tuesday December 6, furious at being benched.
This Thursday, December 8, the Portugal star spoke on social networks, once again sweeping away rumors of a possible conflict. “A group too united to be broken by outside forces. A nation too brave to be intimidated by any opponent. A team in the truest sense of the word, who will fight for the dream until the end! Believe with us! Come on Portugal”, proclaimed the fivefold Ballon d’Or.”
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Bitter remarks against the management of Manchester United
The trigger for this separation occurs on November 14th. That day, an excerpt from an interview with Cristiano Ronaldo, granted to the English journalist Piers Morgan, is broadcast. “I feel betrayed,” said the Portuguese, adding: “I felt that some people didn’t want me here, not only this season, but last season as well.” The striker then continued: “I have no respect for Erik ten Hag because he shows no respect for me. If you don’t have respect for me, I will never have any for you.”
According to him, “there are things internally (at Manchester United, editor’s note) which do not help us to reach the level of City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal. A club of this size should be at the top in my opinion and unfortunately, this is not the case. […] Since Sir Alex (Ferguson, historical coach of the club, editor’s note) left, I have not seen any evolution in this club. Nothing has changed.” Biting remarks against his management which therefore led him to the exit.
A fishtail story
Since the start of the season, Cristiano Ronaldo was not really part of the plans of the new coach, Erik ten Hag, who arrived on the Red Devils bench in May 2022, to end the season. Very rarely established (10 times), he is most of the time on the bench and did not appreciate being put aside. So much so that during the match against Tottenham on October 20, the Portuguese returned to the locker room before the end of the match.
Living legend of Manchester United with whom he played between 2003 and 2009, then 2021 and 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo played 346 games with the Red Devils and scored 145 goals. Not enough to go into the historical statistics of the English formation, but enough to leave its mark on the club. The story between United and Cristiano Ronaldo therefore ended in a fishtail, with a defeat at Aston Villa on November 6. And he will have walked on Old Trafford, the club’s mythical enclosure, for the last time on October 30. “The club thanks him for his immense contribution during two spells at Old Trafford and wishes him and his family the best of luck for the future,” United concluded.
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Short biography of Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, better known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is one of the most gifted football players of his generation. It was at the age of 12 that the young Cristiano Ronaldo left his island of Madeira where he was raised to join the benches of the Sporting Portugal training center. Very quickly, the exceptional performances of the sportsman interested the English club Manchester United which recruited him in 2003. The 2007-2008 season revealed his talent to the whole world and allowed him to hang both the English championship and the trophy of the Champions League on its still nascent record.
In 2009, the Real Madrid club managed to bring the footballer to Spanish soil. The financial transaction then concluded for the transfer of the player ranks among the most expensive in the history of football with compensation of 94 million euros paid to the British club. The Madrid club was apparently right to make this bet since Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the star of the club year after year. With Real, he played 438 games for 450 goals and won 16 titles in nine seasons, including four Champions Leagues. Cristiano Ronaldo will then join Juventus of Turin in 2018 for another pharaminous amount (100 million euros) and to breathe new life into his career (two victories
ires in the championships, an Italian Cup and two Supercups but no European raid), then, after three seasons (134 match and 101 goals) will find Manchester United in 2021. He is also the captain of the Portuguese national team.
A hard worker and great competitor, the footballer has forged an extraordinary physique which has earned him the title of sexiest player of the year on several occasions. It is also thanks to this image that he was offered several major advertising contracts. On the private side, Cristiano Ronaldo is the happy father of five children, the last of whom is a girl born on April 18, 2022. After having chained the conquests, the player is officially in a relationship with the Spanish model Georgina Rodriguez since 2017.
Crowned Ballon d’Or in 2008, 2013 and 2014, 2016 and 2017, the striker managed to hoist Portugal to the final of Euro 2016, during which he beat France. After winning his 5th Champions League, Ronaldo left Real Madrid in the summer of 2018 to join Juventus Turin for 105 million euros. He won Serie A and became the first player in history to win the national championships in England, Spain and Italy. The player won the Italian Super Cup in 2019 against AC Milan and became Italian champion shortly after. In May 2021, he scored his 100th goal for the Turin team.
Since 2003, he has made more than 170 national selections for a total of 115 goals scored. He revealed himself to supporters and the general public on the occasion of Euro 2004, as well as at the Olympic Games in Athens, the same year. Still within the Seleção, Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed his talent and his performances with the 2006 and 2010 editions of the World Cup, as well as Euro 2008. He became captain of the Portugal team in 2007. Crowned Ballon d’ gold in 2008, 2013 and 2014, 2016 and 2017, the striker managed to hoist Portugal to the final of Euro 2016, during which he beat France. The player is still talked about during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, during which he scored 4 goals in a match against Andorra. Shortly after, he became the national team’s top scorer of all time, ahead of Iranian Ali Daei.
Returning to Manchester United in 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo had a complicated start with a 2021-2022 season, marked by the difficulties of the Red Devils, sixths from championship English and unable to qualify for the Champions League.
The Portuguese has one of the finest records in world football. Since turning pro, Cristiano Ronaldo has won 5 Champions Leagues, 6 national championship titles, but also Euro 2016 with Portugal. All of his performances have earned him five Ballons d’Or, the latest having been obtained in 2017.
His collective record also includes 3 Premier League titles, 2 La Liga titles and 2 Serie A victories, respectively with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus FC. Note that Cristiano Ronaldo is the only Real Madrid player to have scored more than 60 goals in a single season (2014-2015). He is also the club’s top scorer with 216 goals to his name. In the major European championship, he was offered the title of top scorer with 400 goals scored. This also applies to the UEFA Champions League and its 120 goals.
In the space of 20 years of career, all his performances have brought him five Ballons d’Or, the last one having been obtained in 2017. Among his personal distinctions, Cristiano Ronaldo has also been awarded the title of best player in several competitions and institutions such as FIFA and UEFA. He is the winner of numerous Golden Soccer Awards, Onze d’or, Goal 50 and Fan Best World Awards. Between 2006 and 2012, Portugal awarded him the prize for the best Portuguese player for 6 consecutive seasons.
We no longer count his nominations and his distinctions as top scorer, best player of the season and man of the match. For this last distinction, we can notably mention the 2010 World Cup during the matches against the Ivory Coast, Brazil, as well as North Korea. Cristiano Ronaldo also stood out against Russia, New Zealand and Mexico in the 2017 edition of the Confederations Cup. In 2020, his entire career is rewarded with the Golden Foot. The same year, he became a member of the Ballon d’Or Dream Team in the category “Eleven of Internet legends”. He is also the winner of the Di Stéfano prize. In more than 1,060 matches played, all club and national selections combined, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 777 goals. As such, he is one of the most successful players in football history.
By signing for Juventus Turin in 2018, Cristiano Ronaldo saw his salary stand at 30 million euros net per season. Considering all of his sources of income, his annual salary exceeds 96 million euros from 2019, i.e. a daily salary of 86,000 euros. On June 6, 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first billionaire footballer in history according to Forbes magazine.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been the subject of numerous advertising contracts for famous brands. He is also the headliner of many football video games, notably for FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer licenses. The footballer is involved in various humanitarian actions by raising funds or by organizing auctions, charity matches. It makes donations for the benefit of associations and victims of natural disasters. Many monuments and establishments bear his name, such as Cristiano Ronaldo Airport in Madeira, formerly Santa Catarina Airport. He has also created CR7 stores and opened an eponymous museum, managed by his brother Hugo where the Portuguese star displays his trophies.
Cristiano Ronaldo shares his life since 2016 with Georgina Rodriguez. Present in Madrid for her professional modeling activities, the young woman met the footballer and formalized their relationship in December 2016. A few months later, Georgina announced her pregnancy and gave birth to a daughter named Alana Martina in November 2017. Cristiano Ronaldo also three other children born to surrogate mothers: Cristiano Jr., Mateo and Eva Maria.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s family originates from the island of Madeira. During his childhood, he experienced poverty, in particular due to a period of unemployment of his father. Football is first of all a means of escape before becoming a means of subsistence. He also has a brother named Hugo, as well as two sisters: Elma and Cátia Lilian. His father José Dinis Aveiro died in September 2005.