"Shame to humiliate a man who has given so much" - Cristiano Ronaldo's sister goes on astonishing social media rant involving Portugal captain
Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister Elma Aveiro has criticised Portugal coach Fernando Santos after he dropped the 37-year-old from his starting lineup against Switzerland. It was the first time that Ronaldo had started from the bench at a major tournament since the European Championship in 2008.
Benfica’s 21-year-old forward Goncalo Ramos was given the nod ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal’s 2022 FIFA World Cup last-16 clash against Switzerland on Tuesday (6 December). Ramos made the most of the opportunity, scoring an incredible hat-trick to fire Portugal to a 6-1 victory. Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro, and Rafael Leao were also on the scoresheet for the 2016 European Champions.
WHAT A PHOTO! 😮
Cristiano Ronaldo might not be playing, but he is still the centre of everything 🇵🇹 https://t.co/QkVLDjv5TG
Cristiano Ronaldo was brought off the bench in the 74th minute but failed to do anything of note before the final whistle. Aveiro congratulated her country for booking a place in the quarter-finals but went on to deliver a scathing assessment of Santos’ team selection. She posted on Instagram (translated via the Daily Mail):
“Yes Ronaldo is not eternal, yes Ronaldo won’t play forever, unfortunately he doesn’t score goals now, he’s old, Portugal doesn’t need Ronaldo. We talked about what we heard, all that he did isn’t important, all that he did was forgotten.
“Now they ask for forgiveness and they don’t need him. I will register that and later we’ll talk. Rui Santos, what will he apologise for? Now we can f*** who we want.”
She concluded her rant by accusing Santos of humiliating the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and the top scorer in men's international football (118 goals in 195 games):
“It is a shame to humiliate a man who has given so much, but later I will see a lot more.”
Ronaldo has featured in four World Cup games in Qatar, scoring once. He is one goal away from matching Eusebio’s World Cup tally and becoming Portugal’s joint all-time top-scorer in the tournament’s history.
Cristiano Ronaldo urges Portugal to march on following emphatic 6-1 win over Switzerland
While his sister has been left offended by Fernando Santos’ team selection, Cristiano Ronaldo seemingly has nothing but pure admiration for his team and their players. The 37-year-old superstar took to Instagram shortly after Portugal sealed their passage to the quarter-finals, recounting an amazing day in the country’s history.
His post read:
“Amazing day for Portugal, with a historic result in the biggest contest in world soccer. Luxury exhibition by a team full of talent and youth. Congratulations to our national team. The dream is alive! To the very end! Come on, Portugal! 🇵🇹💪🏽”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. will take on giant slayers Morocco in the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on 10 December.