🚨Rafael Leão on receiving Cristiano Ronaldo’s No. 7 shirt for Portugal:
🗣️ Rafael Leão: “When I was told I would be wearing the number 7, my first reaction was honestly, ‘No, I don’t want it.’
“Not because I don’t like the number. But because I know what that number means for Portugal.
“For me, there is only one No. 7. Cristiano Ronaldo made that number part of football history. So when they told me I would wear it, I didn’t feel proud immediately. I felt uncomfortable. I thought, ‘How can I walk into a dressing room wearing the number Cristiano made famous?’
“I called Cristiano and told him exactly how I felt. I said, ‘Bro, I don’t think I should take this. It feels wrong. You are still here, and this is your number. I don’t want people thinking I’m trying to replace you.’
“He listened to me and then said something I will never forget.
“He said, ‘Rafa, you’re thinking about the number. I’m thinking about the shirt.’
“I didn’t understand at first.
“He said, ‘I wore that shirt for many years. I gave it everything I had. Now it’s your turn to give it something. Don’t wear it trying to be Cristiano. You will never be Cristiano, and you don’t need to be.’
“Then he said, ‘Take the number. Represent Portugal. Respect what came before you, but don’t be afraid to create your own story.’
“That changed everything for me.
“I told him, ‘But people will compare me to you.’
“He said, ‘People compare everyone. Let them talk. Your job is to play football.’
“And then he said something that really stayed with me.
“‘If you are worried about filling my shoes, you will spend the whole game looking backwards. Look forward.’
“So I accepted it.
“But I want people to understand something. I don’t see myself as the replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I see myself as the player who has been trusted to carry the shirt after him.
“That is a completely different responsibility.
“I will never try to become CR7.
“There is only one Cristiano.
“But if he has given me the opportunity to wear his number, then I will represent it with everything I have.
“I don’t want to replace Cristiano Ronaldo. I want to make him proud that he gave me the shirt.”
🚨Pepe on Jorge Jesus announcing Rafael Leão as Portugal’s new No. 7 less than 24 hours after Cristiano Ronaldo left the national team camp:
🗣️ Pepe: “When I saw the announcement that Rafael Leão would wear the number 7 against Denmark, honestly, it hurt me.
“Not because of Rafael. He has done absolutely nothing wrong. He is a fantastic player, and I hope he has a great game.
“But because of what that number represents.
“Cristiano Ronaldo has just left the Portugal camp, and less than 24 hours later, we are already announcing another player with his number.
“Some people will say, ‘Pepe, it’s only a shirt.’
“No.
“Not that shirt.
“Cristiano didn’t just wear number 7. He turned it into CR7. He made that number one of the most recognisable symbols in football.
“Look at Argentina and Messi. They understood that when a legend leaves, you don’t immediately rush to replace everything he represented. They have kept the number 10 vacant because they understand what it means.
“Portugal should have shown the same respect to Cristiano.
“Yes, I understand that someone has to wear number 7. Rafael has been given the shirt and he isn’t responsible for any of this.
“But the timing is what bothers me.
“Cristiano has given Portugal more than 20 years of his life. He carried that shirt through victories, defeats, criticism, injuries and moments when people said he was finished.
“And now, after the way he has left the camp, the first thing we see is another player being announced with his number.
“Maybe that wasn’t the intention.
“But sometimes football is about the message you send.
“You cannot erase CR7 in 24 hours.
“You cannot replace 20 years with one announcement.
“Rafael Leão can create his own history. He can become his own No. 7.
“But he should never be asked to carry Cristiano’s legacy.
“Because there will always be another player who wears number 7.
“There will never be another Cristiano Ronaldo.”
🚨Luis Nani on the controversy between Jorge Jesus and Cristiano Ronaldo:
🗣️ Luis Nani: “I spoke to Cristiano after everything happened, and I asked him one question: ‘Brother, are you really leaving Portugal like this?’
“He didn’t answer immediately.
“He just said, ‘Nani, you know me. I can accept being left out. I can accept criticism. What I cannot accept is feeling like everything I’ve given Portugal suddenly means nothing.’
“That sentence stayed with me.
“Because I know Cristiano. I’ve shared a dressing room with him since we were young. I know how competitive he is. If the coach tells him, ‘Cristiano, you’re not playing tonight because I have another tactical plan,’ he might be angry, but he’ll understand.
“But if you make him feel unwanted, that’s different.
“I reminded him of Euro 2016. I reminded him of all the times we travelled together, the nights we suffered, the games where Portugal needed one moment and he gave it to us.
“He just said, ‘Nani, I never asked Portugal to play me because of what I did before. I only wanted them to respect what I can still give.’
“And honestly, that broke something in me.
“Because that’s the Cristiano I know.
“He doesn’t want a favour.
“He doesn’t want people to put him on the pitch because his name is Ronaldo.
“He wants to know that when Portugal calls him, they still believe he can contribute.
“I told him, ‘Maybe Jorge is trying to build the next Portugal. Maybe he wants the younger players to take responsibility.’
“He said, ‘Then let them. I will never stop them. But don’t build the future by disrespecting the past.’
“That was when I realised this wasn’t really about one game or one benching.
“It was about communication.
“You can tell Cristiano, ‘Your role has changed.’
“You can tell him, ‘You’re not going to play every match.’
“You can even tell him, ‘There are games where we need younger legs.’
“But you have to look him in the eyes and tell him the truth.
“Because Cristiano can handle the truth.
“I remember when we were young, we used to argue about everything. Football, training, who was better, who should take the free-kick. [laughs]
“But even then, I knew one thing about him.
“He would rather hear something painful from a friend than something comfortable from somebody who doesn’t mean it.
“So when I saw him leave the Portugal camp, I didn’t immediately ask, ‘What did Cristiano do?’
“I asked, ‘What happened between two people who should have been able to solve this inside the dressing room?’
“Because this isn’t just a player and a coach anymore.
“This is Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal.
“And after everything he has given that shirt, if this really is the beginning of the end, then I hope they find a way to end it with respect.
“Cristiano doesn’t need Portugal to protect his legacy.
Portugal needs to remember that it was privileged to have Cristiano Ronaldo protecting its shirt for more than two decades.”
Bir Fenerbahçeli olarak kulübümüzün her tartışmasında değerli futbolcumuz Kante'nin isminin geçmesinden rahatsızım. Maliyetlerin daha da yüksek görünmesi için rakamların vergi dahil olarak dile getirilmesini de manidar buluyorum. Sanırım ülkede sadece N'Golo Kante için vergi uygulaması var. Diğer oyuncular için vergi alınmıyor. Umarım ilerleyen dönemlerde halihazırda kadromuzda yer alan isimleri kamuoyu önüne atma alışkanlığından vazgeçeriz.