Former Portuguese football star and Benfica legend António Simões has severely criticized Cristiano Ronaldo following his dramatic exit from Portugal's national team camp, contrasting his self-centered behavior with legends like Pelé, Diego Maradona, and Eusébio.
The fallout stems from a tactical dispute during the recent international window, where Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus intended to rotate the superstar forward during UEFA Nations League matches. After being sent to warm up against Denmark but left on the bench, an infuriated Ronaldo walked out of the camp, later acknowledging his behavior while accusing Jesus of breaking promises regarding his playing time. Speaking on the incident, Simões—who starred alongside Eusébio at the 1966 World Cup—urged Ronaldo to adopt a team-first mindset and pursue a dignified farewell similar to Lionel Messi's recent international retirement. Simões noted that Ronaldo’s relentless push to reach 1,000 career goals has led him to prioritize personal milestones over national team collective success, warning that no football icon in history has provoked such embarrassing public friction within their national squad.
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Reported by Sports Desk • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
