Didi Hamann has branded Cristiano Ronaldo “embarrassing” after crying on the pitch following his missed penalty against Slovenia.
Ronaldo’s penalty in extra time was brilliantly saved by Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak, keeping the score goalless.
The 39-year-old striker was seen crying at half-time in extra time and was consoled by his team-mates after the miss.
Portugal would eventually win 3-0 in the penalty shootout, with Diogo Costa saving all three of Slovenia’s spot kicks, while Ronaldo converted his effort before apologising to the fans.
Former Liverpool and Germany midfielder Hamann, speaking on Irish television station RTE, called Ronaldo’s reaction “disgraceful” and claimed the striker only thinks about himself.
Cristiano Ronaldo cried after missing a penalty in extra time against Slovenia
Didi Hamann criticised Ronaldo, calling him shameful and saying that he only thinks about himself
Ronaldo saw his penalty saved magnificently by Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
“A 39-year-old player plays 120 minutes, misses a penalty and I have to say I believed all that stuff about ‘Ronaldo has become a team player because he needs the team more than before’. I believed that nonsense too, but I think he showed his true character again tonight,” Hamann said.
“When he misses the penalty, he starts crying on the pitch, he starts crying at half-time in extra time. And I think: ‘It’s all your fault.'”
‘There’s a squad of 26 players, there are 20 members of staff, there are 30 or 40,000 fans there, it’s not about you.
‘We tried to be mutual, but I was cheering for Slovenia because I thought the reaction was embarrassing, I thought it was out of place.
‘I’ve never seen anything like it, because once you show emotions, once you get emotional, that’s the end.
‘So that was the point where the manager had to say, ‘You have to retire because you’re not in the right frame of mind to continue playing.’
‘You have to give him credit for taking the first penalty and doing it well, it was a very good penalty, but as I said, I believed all that ‘Ronaldo has become a team player’ stuff, it’s absolute nonsense.
‘All he thinks about is himself.
“He scored the penalty and apologized to the fans, he has nothing to apologize for. He will start the next game, but I don’t see any other outcome than a victory for France.”
Ronaldo converted his penalty in the shootout and Portugal finally beat Slovenia
The veteran striker raised his hands in apology to the fans after scoring his second penalty
Ronaldo is yet to score at Euro 2024 and has now gone eight games without scoring in the tournament for Portugal.
The striker explained to Portuguese broadcaster RTP his emotional reaction after the missed penalty after the match, admitting that he had gone from “initial sadness” to “joy at the end”.
“It’s definitely my last Euro, but I’m not just excited about that, I’m excited about everything that football entails,” Ronaldo said.
‘Because of the excitement I have for the game, the excitement of seeing my fans, my family, the affection people have for me.
‘It’s not about quitting football, because if I do, what else do I have to do or win? It’s not about getting one more point or one less point. Making people happy is what motivates me the most.
‘We have a difficult match now against France, who are one of the favourites to win.
“But we’re going to war, the team is fine and I will always give my best with this shirt. I missed the penalty but I wanted to be the first to score, because you have to take responsibility. I’ve never been afraid to face the same things as always.”
