"The world should be grateful that he existed in the sport we love" – Portugal futsal icon hits out at Cristiano Ronaldo critics

Portugal futsal great Pany Varela has heaped special praise on Cristiano Ronaldo, lambasting the Al-Nassr superstar's critics in the process.

Earlier this summer, Ronaldo faced a lot of scrutiny for his sub-par displays at the UEFA Euro 2024. He failed to net a single goal in five games as his national team were eliminated in the quarter-final stage.

However, the Portugal captain has found his shooting boots this month. He scored two back-to-back goals in his national side's recent 2-1 UEFA Nations League wins against Croatia and Scotland respectively.

During an interview with FIFA, Varela was queried to share his honest thoughts on Ronaldo amid recent criticism about the striker. He replied:

"Cristiano Ronaldo is a symbol in our country. Fortunately, he is from Portugal. He is someone who fills us with enormous pride. Cristiano was a huge inspiration for us [futsal] players. We all wanted to have that hunger to win that Cristiano does. That hunger, that desire helped us become world champions [in 2021]."

Varela, who joined Al-Nassr's futbal team earlier this summer, added:

"I take my hat off to him and give him all the plaudits in the world, because that's what he deserves. People have expected excellence from him his whole career. The minute something goes wrong, they criticise him. It's human nature but it's not fair on him. Look at what he's achieved, look at what he's done for Portugal, look at how much he's inspired not just footballers but athletes from other sports like us."

Varela, who has guided Portugal's futsal team to four trophies, opined:

"We're all extremely grateful for the fact that he’s Portuguese and everything he did for our country. The world should be grateful that he existed in the sport we love, in football. We should enjoy Cristiano while he is still playing because it will be very difficult to see another player like him."

How well has Cristiano Ronaldo performed for Al-Nassr & Portugal so far this season?

Earlier this September, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first man in the history of the sport to score 900 goals in official matches. He reached the milestone after scoring in Portugal's recent 2-1 triumph over Croatia.

The Sporting CP academy graduate has scored 901 goals in 1237 matches across competitions at club and country level so far. The ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid star has registered 285 assists as well.

Apart from scoring two goals in two appearances for Portugal this season, the 39-year-old attacker has contributed four goals and two assists in four matches in all competitions for Al-Nassr.