Sports legends weigh in on Ronaldo’s outburst
CRISTIANO Ronaldo’s outburst this week against Manchester United has elicited conflicting opinions across the sporting fraternity.
Some suggest that the Portugal national team captain is being blunt and honest in his assessment of the Red Devils, backed up by the fact that the club has not seen much success since the retirement of Alex Ferguson as manager in 2013.
Detractors of Ronaldo, 37, argue that his outburst came as a result of failing to accept that Father Time is calling and his time as an elite footballer has come to an end.
Controversial British journalist Piers Morgan, who conducted the interview and who is affiliated to equally controversial media outlet The Sun, branded it one of his greatest interviews.
“That was my all-time favourite interview. A sporting icon baring his soul as never before & doing it with such raw honesty & passion, knowing it would attract a lot of heat but believing it was time to speak out. Thanks,” wrote Morgan on Twitter.
South African-born retired English cricketer Kevin Pietersen defended Ronaldo, arguing that most critics of the Portuguese star simply do not know what he is going through. While prolific as a player, Kwazulu-natal-born Pietersen attracted heavy criticism in equal measure from the nation of his birth and later from his adopted nation, England, for his off-the-field antics.
“I’ve watched this CR story and having been in a similar position, I sympathise with him. People have NO IDEA what it’s like to have constant lies and speculation written about them all the time. People having breaking points. Very easy to blame him but before you do, think,” stated Pietersen on Twitter.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright, however, indicated that Ronaldo’s views were a result of him finding it difficult to accept that his career was coming to an end.
“For him to not be able to deal with his career coming to an end, it happens to all of us, it happened to me – and you do feel a sense of ‘is that it?’ It must be difficult for him and something he may need to seek counselling for,” Wright said on The Kelly and Wrighty Show.
Ronaldo’s former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville said he felt the best way forward was for Ronaldo to leave Old Trafford.
“Cristiano looks like someone who thinks the world’s against him – it doesn’t have to be like that. The club need to reach out to Cristiano and his advisers and navigate a way this ends very quickly. It’s becoming more unsavoury by the day and there’s no need for it to be like that.”
Neville also took issue with Ronaldo’s attitude towards modern-day young players who he believed did not work as hard as those of generations gone by.
“I was disappointed when he criticised the young players. That’s what people used to say about us when we came through in the 1990s. It’s what late-30s, 40-year-old, 50-year-old people say about 16, 17, 18-year-olds and it’s not true.
“I actually think football players nowadays are more resilient than they were 20 years ago because of the criticism they get on social media and the scrutiny that’s on them. I think it’s unfair to criticise the young players.”