Joao Cancelo has raised eyebrows by claiming that his Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo is beyond his “peak” as a footballer and that the team “is not entirely dependent on him”.
Portugal are preparing for two friendlies against Sweden and Slovenia this week, although Al-Nassr star Ronaldo will not feature in the previous match despite being named by boss Roberto Martinez in his team of 32 players.
The Saudi Pro League is currently on break for the international break and Ronaldo had time to go on holiday with partner Georgina Rodriguez and her family before returning for the clash against Slovenia.
However, Cancelo’s comments about Ronaldo, when asked about his importance to the team, might not have sat well with the ex-Man United, Real Madrid and Juventus star, after suggesting that his teammates did not count on him.
The former Man City full-back insisted Ronaldo was still “important” but claimed he was now past his best.
Cristiano Ronaldo is past his ‘peak’, says Portuguese teammate Joao Cancelo
Cancelo surprisingly said Portugal ‘are not entirely dependent’ on veteran striker
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“He’s an important player and he spent 15 years competing with Messi for the Ballon d’Or, but the peak of a footballer’s career is between the ages of 25 and 32,” he said. declared on Portuguese radio. RTP.
“He is an important player for us, but the national team does not depend entirely on him.”
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner – who joined Al-Nassr at the end of 2022 – has unsurprisingly remained in the headlines in recent years since his explosive exit from Man United.
He was criticized during the 2022 World Cup after being pictured leaving the pitch early after being dropped during a group stage match and reportedly falling out with former boss Fernando Santos – with some media suggesting that he wanted to go home.
Since replacing Santos, Martinez has always said Ronaldo remains in his plans, saying his contagious hunger keeps him in contention.
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez has always insisted that Ronaldo is an important member of his team.
“I have worked with many people, but what sets Cristiano apart is the need to always be ready to be the best. A hunger that is contagious, but very difficult to satisfy.
Ronaldo, who scored his 50th goal for Al-Nassr last week, was also in the spotlight for the wrong reasons this season earlier this month after being banned for one match by the Saudi Pro League for “provoking” the Al-Shabab supporters with an offensive gesture, after being goaded by chants of “Messi, Messi”.
Now aged 39, Ronaldo is Portugal’s all-time top scorer with 128 goals, and also has the most caps with 205.
He hopes to end his storied career with 1,000 goals. He is currently at 879.
However, some fans became concerned about the striker’s fate after seeing a photo of his battered and swollen feet which he posted on social media last week.
Ronaldo left fans worried about his mileage after posting a photo of his swollen feet
Ronaldo enjoys a short break with his family at the lavish St Regis resort in Saudi Arabia
Ronaldo posted a photo of himself in Erakulis pants, designed to speed recovery after matches, at the £700-a-night St Regis in Saudi Arabia.
“22 years of professional football, look at his feet… he wakes up in crazy pain every day for sure,” one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Another wrote: “Look at her feet man, imagine the pain every day. »
“This is worse than Lebron (James), wow I heard he wore really tight boots too,” said a third, referring to the NBA legend’s iconic image.
While a fourth joked: “His big toes are screaming for help.”
Indeed, it is true that Ronaldo worked his body a lot during his professional career.
Friday’s clash in the Saudi Pro League took his number of club matches to a staggering 1,001.