"He showed his true colors" – Cristiano Ronaldo accused of thinking only about himself by ex-Liverpool star after crying over penalty miss v Slovenia
Ex-Germany and Liverpool star Dietmar Hamann has lambasted Portugal attacker Cristiano Ronaldo for his emotional reaction in a UEFA Euro 2024 last-16 win over Slovenia on Monday (July 1).
Ronaldo, 39, emerged as a topic of discussion after failing to convert an extra-time penalty in his national team's recent Euro 2024 win in Frankfurt. He burst into tears after his miss before redeeming himself with a successful penalty in A Selecao's 3-0 shootout victory.
Speaking on Irish television channel RTE, Hamann criticized Ronaldo's reaction in Portugal's triumph against Slovenia. Claiming that the Al-Nassr star is self-serving, he said (h/t Daily Mail):
"Thirty-nine-year-old plays 120 minutes, misses a penalty and I've got to say, I bought into all that, 'Ronaldo has turned into a team player because he needs the team more than he used to'. I bought into that nonsense as well, but I think he showed his true colors again tonight. Missing the penalty, he starts crying on the pitch at half-time in extra-time. And I'm thinking, 'It's all about you'."
Hamann, who represented Germany 59 times during his career, added:
"There's a squad of 26 players, there's 20 staff, there's 30,000 or 40,000 fans in there, it's not about you. You try to be mutual, but I was cheering Slovenia on because I thought the reaction was embarrassing, I thought it was out of order. I've never seen anything like it, because once you get emotional, it's the end of it."
Sharing further thoughts on the Portugal captain, Hamann concluded:
"So that was the point where the manager had to say, "You've got to come off because you're not in the right frame of mind'. Credit to him he took the first penalty and he took it well, it was a very good penalty, but as I said I bought into all that 'He's turned into a team player', it's absolute nonsense. All he thinks about is himself."
Cristiano Ronaldo asserts Euro 2024 is his last European Championship participation
At a post-match press conference, Cristiano Ronaldo asserted that he will not play in the next Euro. He revealed (h/t X/@FabrizioRomano):
"This will be my last Euro, of course. But I'm not moved by this, I'm moved by enthusiasm. I was sorry for the fans. I'll always give my best for this shirt, whether I miss [a penalty] or not."
So far, the Portugal captain is yet to score a goal at the Euro 2024.
Overall, the Al-Nassr attacker has found the back of the opposition net a record 14 times and laid out 10 assists in 29 matches at the Euros.