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Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players to have ever stepped on a football pitch. Since making his senior debut in the 2002-03 season for Sporting Lisbon, the Portuguese has gone from strength to strength and broken record after record.
Ronaldo is Real Madrid's record goalscorer with 450 goals in just 438 matches for Los Blancos. He is also tied with Ali Daei on 109 international goals, the most by any player in the history of international football. Overall, Ronaldo has scored 783 goals in a glittering club career that has seen him win numerous honors with club and country.
As with any player who reaches the pinnacle of success in the way the 36-year-old has, there have been several controversial quotes on Cristiano Ronaldo. These have come from critics, fellow footballers and even teammates.
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Here, we look at five of the most controversial quotes about Cristiano Ronaldo that have come out in recent times.
#5 "He can't walk past his reflection without admiring it, even if we're about to play a game of football”
During the early 2000s, few attacking duos struck fear into opposition hearts like Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. The pair often sliced open defenses with their swift counterattacks and won numerous trophies together.
Rooney has observed Ronaldo from very close quarters at United. In his book My Decade in the Premier League, he pointed towards Ronaldo's vanity when it came to his looks:
"There was a mirror by Ronaldo's seat in the Old Trafford dressing room," said Rooney. "In the time I've been playing with Ronnie, the one thing I've noticed about him is that he can't walk past his reflection without admiring it, even if we're about to play a game of football."
Rooney also added that Ronaldo followed a ritual before the team went out for a warm-up ahead of games. The Portuguese winger would wear his kit, strap on his boots and then look into the mirror to "psych himself up," before heading out onto the pitch.
#4 "Juventus have done worse with Cristiano Ronaldo than before"
Former Italian footballer Antonio Cassano is yet another critic of Ronaldo's time at Juventus, as he said earlier this year that he feels the Bianconeri have gotten worse since the 36-year-old joined the club. Apart from failing to win the Champions League in his three seasons at Juve, Ronaldo also saw his club give up the Serie A title to Inter Milan in the 2020-21 season.
Cassano said:
"Juventus signed him (Ronaldo) to win the Champions League, but they've done worse with him than they've done before. They'd also won the Serie A title without him. I think he's been a failure."
It is worth noting that Juventus themselves have been in a transitionary period since Ronaldo's arrival. The club have dabbled with different managers and playing styles and have also been largely poor in the transfer market following the purchase of the Portuguese superstar. Resultantly, it is difficult to blame Ronaldo alone for Bianconeri's recent failures.
Also Read: Mason Greenwood chooses between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
#3 "Cristiano Ronaldo was a wrong purchase? Absolutely yes!"
Ronaldo has consistently copped criticism since joining Juventus in 2018. The 36-year-old claimed to be moving to Italy in search of a new challenge. Due to his own words, Ronaldo has been expected by many to deliver the elusive Champions League title to the Bianconeri.
However, he has failed to do so in his three seasons at Turin. Ronaldo and co were most recently dumped out in the Round of 16 by Porto. On the heels of Juve's elimination, Giovanni Cobolli, former president of the club, was outright in his criticism of Ronaldo.
"Cristiano Ronaldo was a wrong purchase? Absolutely yes! I said it from day one, showing appreciation for a great champion that he is, but he is too expensive and too determining," he said while on 'Radio Punto Nuovo'.
Cobolli also added that deciding whether to sell Ronaldo or not was Juventus' business, but that he was currently "worth a million per goal."
Ronaldo has managed one Player of the Year award and one Serie A top scorer award during his time with Juventus. This is in addition to five major honors as well with the Turin outfit. He has also scored 101 goals in 133 appearances for the Bianconeri, all of which indicate that he hasn't been as big a flop as some critics make him out to be.
#2 "He's always been selfish"
Ronaldo was on the receiving end of some scathing criticism once again from Antonio Cassano in 2021. Cassano's comments followed Juventus' 2-1 loss to Porto in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg. Speaking after the game, the former Italy international said:
"He (Ronaldo) scores a goal per game but he struggles with Andrea's (Pirlo) idea. He's always been a bit selfish, he doesn't give a damn about others scoring goals. He does not live for the game - he lives for the goal and in this moment the situation is getting worse."
Cassano felt Ronaldo only had eyes for scoring goals himself, but that particular ability of his had begun to drop as well. However, his criticism does seem a little shorthanded. Ronaldo has managed 22 assists during his time at Juventus. On the whole, he has 229 assists at club level, which proves that he isn't just a selfish goalscorer. However, Ronaldo has shifted his focus in recent years to goalscoring, which is a possible reason for the criticism he has received.
#1 "He is an idiot, a sick man"
The most recent quote on this list, Florentino Perez's leaked words on Ronaldo and other Real Madrid players, has not gone down well. According to audio tapes from 2012 released by Spanish outlet El Confidencial, Perez referred to Ronaldo as "crazy." He was also quoted as saying:
"This guy is an idiot, a sick man. You think this guy is normal, but he’s not normal, otherwise, he wouldn’t do all the things he does."
Perez also reportedly criticized Ronaldo and former Los Blancos manager Jose Mourinho. More audio footage from the same source noted him as saying:
"These are guys with a terrible ego, both (Ronaldo and Mourinho) spoiled, the coach and him, and they don’t see reality."
While there is still no official confirmation about the credibility of these clips, they have generated plenty of controversy. Florentino Perez has been one of the most hated presidents in club football, particularly after the Super League fiasco. These tapes will certainly not help improve that image.
