October 15, 2026
Retired English star Wayne Rooney strongly criticized the actions of Portuguese national team captain Cristiano Ronaldo, considering that his public insults and criticism of his coach represent a disrespect for the coaching staff, his teammates, and the Portuguese Football Federation.
The escalation of the dispute came against the backdrop of Ronaldo (41 years old) remaining on the bench throughout the Norway match, which Portugal won (2-1), despite him warming up for 30 minutes. Before the next match against Denmark, the national team captain left the team camp and issued a statement in which he accused coach Jesus of breaking his promise.
In statements he made on “The United Stand” program, Rooney wondered: “Why did this happen on the same day that Lionel Messi retired from playing for Argentina, for Ronaldo to leave the Portugal squad in this way and issue that statement? It is wrong in every respect.”
The former Manchester United striker added: “To underestimate the value of your coach, your teammates, and the Portuguese Federation in the way he did is completely wrong, both from a football standpoint and from the perspective of the relationship between teammates and the coach. It was not a pleasant scene.”
Rooney pointed out that the end of an international career is an inevitable stage that every player goes through, expressing his regret at the way Ronaldo is dealing with this transition.
Rooney’s criticism was not limited to leaving the camp only, but also included what was stated in Ronaldo’s statement regarding the statements that coach Jesus was supposed to make during a pre-agreed press conference, where he commented, saying: “You cannot tell a coach what to say, this matter goes beyond anything I have ever seen in my life.”
