Now that Cristiano Ronaldo has quit international football unceremoniously, let's talk about CR7 vs the media
What exactly did Cristiano Ronaldo do to the media?
And please, spare me the usual "arrogance" narrative
That is one of the biggest narratives the media created around his character
So, what exactly was Ronaldo's offence?
I have been watching football for a very long time
Not just watching, I read and pay attention to details, I have never seen a player vilified by the media like Ronaldo
From 2006 to 2026, that's 20 years of football
For most of that period, the media narrative around Ronaldo was relentlessly negative
Ronaldo had two major rivalries throughout his career
The first was with the media, the second was Lionel Messi
The media battle started first
Was his offence because he said he is the greatest player of all time?
Was it because he oozed confidence?
Was it because he believed in himself?
Was it because he talked, did it and delivered?
In 2012, it got to Ronaldo so badly that he asked his agent, Jorge Mendes:
"What is my offence with the media?"
Mendes didn't have an answer
He reached out to Spanish journalist Guillem Balagué and asked him the same question:
"What exactly did Ronaldo do to the media?"
Do you know how crazy that is?
The level of scrutiny had become so intense that even Ronaldo himself was trying to understand what he had done to deserve it
The only way Ronaldo could consistently fight back was on the pitch
Every time the media questioned him, he answered with performances
And whenever there was a dip in his form, the same headline would appear:
"Ronaldo is finished"
That statement followed him repeatedly, especially after injury in 2014 but he proved them wrong
Ronaldo had to develop a thick skin because he couldn't control the narrative
Football fans are fickle, and the Ronaldo-Messi rivalry made everything even worse
Sensational headlines travelled faster than facts, hence fans swallow narrative without checking what was actually said
I have had to post the exact quote because many fans don't read beyond the headline
Left to the media, Ronaldo should have retired about 10 years ago
And what made it worse?
Former players joined the conversation
Thierry Henry, as brilliant as he is as a pundit, will lose all objectivity whenever the discussion turns to Cristiano Ronaldo
John Mikel Obi openly said he doesn't like Ronaldo because he considers him arrogant
Before Ronaldo scored his 800th career goal, former France and Chelsea defender, Frank Leboeuf was asked on ESPN whether Ronaldo could reach 800 goals
Instead of analysis, he made jest and mocked CR7
Ronaldo was still at Manchester United when he reached the milestone
At Juventus, the media created this strange narrative that Ronaldo's goals were hurting Juventus
A player scored 101 goals in three seasons and somehow became the problem?
How?
What would the criticism have been if he had scored only 50?
Probably even worse
Yet that narrative stuck that people now talked down on goals and made it overrated in football
There was never a time in football when scoring goals became something that could negatively affect your team until the 'Ronaldo-at-Juventus' narrative became popular
The media turned Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini interviews into Ronaldo being the problem
The same thing happened when he returned to Manchester United
Suddenly, Ronaldo was the problem again
In Portugal, he became the problem according to the media
That's why he should have quit after the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Ronaldo is not perfect, he has his character flaws like everyone
20 years of character assasination
20 years of wrong narratives and agenda
20 years of labeling him as the villain
Ronaldo went to war against the media
He came
He saw
He fought
He conquered
An inspiration to billions
A blessing to football
A phenomenon that may never be repeated
CR7, let's get the 1,000 goals
SIUUUUUUU 🐐
Cristiano Ronaldo tem 41 anos de idade e já disse que possivelmente esta será sua última temporada como jogador de futebol. Está bem perto de encerrar a carreira e não chegará na próxima Copa do Mundo. Por qual motivo foi convocado? Ou por qual motivo disseram que contavam com ele quando não faz sentido e o mais importante é olhar para frente?
A Federação portuguesa deveria ter sentado com ele, organizado uma despedida e encerrado a história dele na seleção. Mas, claro, houve uma enorme preocupação com o marketing.
Manter um jogador só pensando no marketing, no público que vai atrair, nos patrocínios que vai atrair para uma seleção é fácil, mas não é o melhor caminho. O melhor caminho é sempre priorizar o campo. Quando não se prioriza o campo, você atrai problemas.
Após a conferência de imprensa do Selecionador Nacional, e no seguimento de uma conversa com o Presidente da Federação Portuguesa de Futebol, tomei a decisão de deixar o estágio da Seleção Nacional.
A seu tempo, direi a verdade a todos os Portugueses sobre as razões que motivaram a minha saída da equipa nacional, à qual sempre me dediquei.
Agora é tempo de desejar boa sorte a Portugal e a todos os meus companheiros de equipa, sem exceção.
🚨 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗠���𝗗: The situation between Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus has now been RESOLVED.
The pair held a private one-on-one meeting on Tuesday night and cleared the air following the controversy against Norway.
Peace has now returned to the Portugal camp.
— @Record_Portugal