The Best award was criticized for disrespecting Ronaldo
The image of Ronaldo shown is when this striker was on the bench in the match Portugal beat Switzerland 6-1 in the 1/8 round of the 2022 World Cup. That match, he only entered the field from the 74th minute when the home team was leading 5 -1, replacing Goncalo Ramos - the striker scored a hat-trick in this match. This is Ronaldo's first time as a substitute at a major tournament since Euro 2008.
On social networks, many fans are disgruntled when they think that FIFA lacks respect for the Portuguese striker. "It's not good that FIFA disrespects such a contemporary legend of football. There are so many videos, why choose Ronaldo sitting on the bench?", a fan asked. "FIFA favors Messi and finds ways to put Ronaldo down," another fan emphasized.
Someone recalled that it was not the first time Ronaldo was treated with disrespect at a major awards ceremony. The organizers each way the image of the Portuguese striker wearing underwear at the 2021 Ballon d'Or Gala. The photo was originally the cover of Vanity Fair magazine with Ronaldo and Didier Drogba wearing promotional underwear. Sitting below, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe or Robert Lewandowski all laughed when seeing that image of Ronaldo on the big screen.
Ronaldo did not attend The Best 2022 award ceremony when he was not in the group of nominations for the best male player. The 38-year-old striker, even the captain of the Portuguese team, did not vote, but gave it to teammate Pepe. According to regulations, each national football federation will have three votes for the coach, the captain of the team and a journalist.
The former Man Utd and Real striker was also absent from the typical team of the World Football Federation (FIFA) and the World Professional Footballers Association (FIFPro) for the first time since 2007. Before that, Ronaldo share the record of 15 appearances in the typical team with Messi.
Ronaldo played unsuccessfully in the second half of 2022. At club level, he lost his starting position at Man Utd and scored only three goals, including one in the Premier League and two in the Europa League. The 37-year-old striker also had many conflicts with the new coach Erik ten Hag, including refusing to enter the field in the last minutes and leaving early in the match against Tottenham.
After that, Ronaldo publicly criticized Ten Hag and Man Utd in a 90-minute chat on Piers Morgan Uncensored. More than a week later, the Old Trafford owner decided to terminate the contract half a year early with the 37-year-old player.
At the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo scored only one goal - a penalty kick in the opening match against Ghana. The 37-year-old striker lost his starting place when Portugal beat Switzerland 6-1 in the round of 16 and lost 0-1 to Morocco in the quarterfinals. It was coach Fernando Santos who publicly admitted that Ronaldo did not accept to be a substitute.
In early 2023, Ronaldo debuted at the Saudi Arabian club, Al Nassr under a contract until June 2025, with a salary of $ 75 million and closed 20 years of playing in Europe. He currently has eight goals and two assists in six games, including two hat-tricks.
