Gary Neville has slammed Cristiano Ronaldo once again as Portugal eased to the World Cup quarter-finals without the help of their star forward.
As quoted by Goal, Manchester United legend Gary Neville criticised Cristiano Ronaldo and his attitude ahead of Portugal’s brilliant 6-1 win over Switzerland in the Round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Ronaldo was benched for the first time at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and Portugal did not feel his absence. A Goncalo Ramos hat-trick was the catalyst as the Seleccao looked invincible against Switzerland.
Ronaldo’s invisible fight against his managers continued, as after Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag, the 37-year-old has failed to convince Portugal head coach Fernando Santos of his capability. The veteran striker has struggled at times to match the hunger required at this level and vented his frustration after he was substituted in the 2-1 defeat against South Korea.
Ronaldo was visibly unhappy after the Portugal boss decided to call him off midway through the second half. And a South Korean player was at the receiving end of his outburst as he hobbled down to the sidelines. The player was again pictured in a very disgruntled mood as Portugal made their way into the stadium prior to their clash against Switzerland.
Neville, who earlier also hit out at Ronaldo for his behaviour after his infamous Piers Morgan interview, tore the player apart again. The Manchester United legend said, “This is a manager (Fernando Santos) who’s got an unbelievable relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo for eight years. And there are a lot of fans of Cristiano Ronaldo who aren’t willing to tell him the truth, and I think he does need to listen to the truth that it’s becoming a little bit of a scruffy end.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me if he came on tonight and scored the winner, but the petulance, the stomping around, the sulking, it’s got to stop, because it doesn’t reflect well on him at all. His long-term legacy is set… but in the short term he’s got to do a lot better, because is the Juventus manager wrong? Is the Manchester United manager wrong? And now is the Portugal manager wrong? There’s three of them that have now done the same thing with him.”
Things seem to be going from bad to worse for Ronaldo, who has been nowhere near his best for months. The former Manchester United striker also holds a grudge against Neville, whose brutal assessment is not far from the reality. And after leaving Manchester United, the 37-year-old remains without a club.
