Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has launched a new attack on former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, arguing that the Portugal national team would be better off without the 37-year-old.
Ronaldo, who was criticised heavily during his time at Manchester United, was defended by the Red Devils veteran, who even at one point called him ‘the best of all time’. However, Cristiano did not seem to take kindly to Neville’s words shortly before his exit, when he felt that leaving the club would be the best decision for all parties involved. Ronaldo launched an attack against the veteran right-back who was his mentor during his first spell at the club in an interview with Piers Morgan.
More recently, Neville has said that the Portuguese side were better off without the legendary forward. SL Benfica forward Goncalo Ramos, who replaced Ronaldo in the pre-quarterfinal, scored a magnificent hat-trick in a 6-1 win.
“Portugal’s best performance of the tournament, the 6-1 win over Switzerland, was without him – and they looked much more mobile. João Felix and Bruno Fernandes really came alive.
This reminds me of United – they are better when he is not in the team. Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest player I’ve ever seen, and despite what he may think, I love him to bits – he is unbelievable.”
Neville stated.
Before Portugal’s quarterfinal encounter against Morocco on Saturday, Neville urged that the Portuguese manager stick with the same starting lineup that did not include the player. Neville is particularly concerned about his impact on the younger players who look up to him as an idol, claiming that his recent antics have a bad impact.
“I worry about the influence he will have on other players when he refuses to be part of a team. Ronaldo is better than that. The biggest problem is that his managers at Portugal and Manchester United thought they were better without Ronaldo in the team, and he’s finding that difficult to come to terms with.”
the ex-Manchester United captain added.
Ronaldo was left out of Portugal’s starting lineup against Switzerland in the 2022 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match in Qatar on Tuesday. If reports are to be believed, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was benched following a verbal altercation with Portugal manager, Fernando Santos, regarding his substitution in the previous game against South Korea.
However, manager Santos explained in his pre-match press conference that his choice to sideline Ronaldo was strictly tactical, with Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves also on the bench.
