«There is a grotesque difference in the way the Portuguese treat Cristiano Ronaldo and the way the Argentinians treat Lionel Messi», former Brazil international Felipe Melo said in remarks reported for Sportv, stoking an ongoing rift between the Al Nassr forward, the Portuguese Football Federation, and national team coach Jorge Jesus.
The tensions initially arose when Ronaldo remained on the bench without playing a single minute against Norway, leading to reports of friction with his coach and a temporary refusal to train. Although Jorge Jesus stated in a pre-match press conference prior to the Thursday match against Denmark that the player would be returning, the remarks only angered Ronaldo further, causing him to skip training again.
Felipe Melo Criticizes Ronaldo's National Teammates
The social media action was motivated by a post criticizing the behavior of national teammates toward the Madeira star. The spark was ignited by Felipe Melo, a former Brazilian footballer who played for Flamengo, Fiorentina, Juventus, Galatasaray, and Inter Milan, among other teams, alongside stints with Mallorca, Racing de Santander, and Almería. Melo expanded his criticism to target Ronaldo’s national teammates and their reactions to the split with Jorge Jesus, stating that he sees more respect from opponents. He pointed to Denmark’s Rasmus Hojlund, who became furious, scored against Portugal on Wednesday, celebrated by emulating Ronaldo’s signature «siuuu» celebration, and later pushed Jorge Jesus when the coach approached to greet him before Joachim Andersen, Hojlund’s teammate on the Danish national team, intervened to prevent escalation.
If tomorrow they prove to me that he was disrespectful, that everything was planned and agreed upon and that he left, then I will be the first to admit that I was wrong», Melo added, while also arguing that no one in Portugal comes up to Cristiano’s heels
and lamenting that the best player in history
could leave his national team like that
. Furthermore, Ronaldo’s sister, Elma Aveiro, issued a strongly worded statement criticizing the Portuguese public, media, and national structure, asserting in her official account message that CR7 deserved more respect
, that the national team deserved more structure
, that Portuguese journalism deserved more competence and less speculation
, and adding about the Portuguese people that we are envious, derogatory, ignorant, and deserve to return to the mediocrity we always had in football before CR7
while concluding with Thanks for everything, CR7! You deserved more!
Performance in the Nations League
The squad opened the tournament with a 1-0 victory over Wales—where Ronaldo started—followed by a 1-2 win against Norway without Ronaldo playing an official minute for his country in over 18 years, coming one day after CR7 made his abrupt departure following Jorge Jesus’s press conference.
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