Wayne Rooney has attacked Cristiano Ronaldo for his decision to leave the Portugal national team camp, saying his path was “wrong” and the forward had “poisoned” his coach, teammates and the Portuguese Football Federation. The former Manchester United striker gave his opinions after Ronaldo reportedly had a row with Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus during the international break last week.
The dispute was over form, with Ronaldo said to be leaving the national team camp because he was not in the starting XI. Later, Ronaldo posted a tweet on social media and apologised to his teammates, but accused Jesus of failing to keep his word.
The Portuguese skipper also said that he was referring to football legends Pele and Diego Maradona when he was defending himself in the game. Rooney wondered why Ronaldo did not respond at the right time or in the right way on The United Stand. He noted that the event had fallen on the eve of Lionel Messi’s retirement from Argentina’s national team, adding that it was not easy to have Ronaldo’s public comment. Rooney said a player should not “dictate” what a manager must say in public and that it could have a negative impact on the relationship within Portugal. He also shared the view of a former teammate and manager as to the situation.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s criticism is all the more impressive given the fact that Rooney and Ronaldo were at Manchester United together for five seasons (2004-09). They won three Premier League titles and UEFA Champions League during that time. Rooney’s comments come at a significant time as Ronaldo faces another challenging period in his international career, given their joint history.
