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Cristiano Ronaldo has created a situation at Portugal whereby many fans believe he plays ‘however he wants,’ according to pundit Antonio Tadeia, as reported by BBC Sport.
The Manchester United icon has been called up to the Portugal 2022 World Cup squad, despite a frustrating season for his club.
Ronaldo has scored just one goal in 10 Premier League games this season.
He has instead largely been used in the Europa League under Erik ten Hag. In Europe, the Man Utd attacker has two goals in his six matches. He also has two assists.
Many believe Ronaldo plays ‘however he wants’
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Tadeia, a pundit for RTP who has covered Portugal since 1992, says the forward can still be an asset for the country at the 2022 World Cup.
But he notes that there is a view that Ronaldo can do what he wants for the national team.
“I believe that most of the Portuguese fans still look to Cristiano as the world’s best player, but then there’s also a significant fraction who question his status,” said Tadeia.
“Many people share the idea that he plays a bit like however he wants. If he wants to leave the box, he leaves the box.
“If he wants to play wide open, he plays wide open. If he wants to start, he starts.
“If he wants to rest, he stays on the bench. If he wants to remain on the pitch, even though it’s advisable to replace him, he remains on the pitch.”
Portugal captain in charge
Tadeia continued by saying Ronaldo may be the one pulling the strings in the relationship with manager Fernando Santos.
“So because of all this, these fans have developed this perception that Cristiano has Fernando Santos in his hands and that Santos does whatever Cristiano wants him to do,” he added.
“I still think Cristiano can be very useful, but it would be important to find some balance on how to use him because he no longer has the same physical condition.
“The point here is whether he would be capable of understanding it.”
Ronaldo key to Portugal plans
Ronaldo remains central to Portugal’s plans. He captained his country in the recent UEFA Nations League campaign.
He also hit six goals in World Cup qualifying as Portugal finished second in Group A.
Portuguese pundit Tadeia says there is no concrete evidence that Ronaldo gets special treatment for his country, but it seems he does enjoy a sense of freedom that other players don’t.
“The Portuguese federation has never admitted to having any special treatment for him, although we’ve had indications that lead us to understand that it exists,” said Tadeia.
“But there you go: I don’t find it to be absolutely unusual. Obviously, I’m not defending that, and you’ve got stuff in the daily work that even the biggest stars have to do like the other players.
“But it would be a bit silly to think that a 39-year-old like Pepe or a 37-year-old like Cristiano will train the same way a 20-year-old does because that wouldn’t be normal.
“But then again, the fact that Santos said after the 2020 Euros exit that he had the support of Cristiano as if it were something essential for him to continue in his post didn’t sound good.
“It may have been a slip of the tongue or maybe that’s how things work. We cannot know that for sure, though.”
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