 "Ronaldo is yet to win a World Cup despite playing five editions so far. Image: AFP")
Cristiano Ronaldo has found himself at the centre of controversy again, this time for appearing to change his stance on the FIFA World Cup. Fans have called him a “hypocrite” after his recent comments seemed to contradict what he said after Portugal’s 2022 World Cup exit in Qatar.
Back in December 2022, when Portugal were knocked out by Morocco in the quarterfinals, Ronaldo was emotional and said that winning the World Cup had always been his biggest dream. He even shared a long post on Instagram on how winning the title was the most ambitious dream of his career.
“Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career. Fortunately, I won many titles of international dimension, including for Portugal, but putting the name of our country on the highest level in the world was my biggest dream,” Ronaldo had said in his post in 2022.
However, in a new interview with Piers Morgan on his YouTube channel, the Portuguese superstar said something very different. These new comments have upset many fans, who feel Ronaldo is now trying to downplay his World Cup failure after seeing Lionel Messi win the last edition with Argentina.
“I’d say it’s NOT a dream for me to win the World Cup. To define what? To define if I’m one of the best in history? To win one competition, six games, seven games, do you think it’s fair?” Ronaldo said in his interview.
Fans slam Ronaldo for making a U-turn
Social media has been flooded with reactions, with many accusing Ronaldo of changing his stance on the World Cup after realising it may be too late for him to win one now. Ronaldo has played in five World Cups so far but has never managed to lift the trophy.
The 2022 tournament in Qatar was especially painful for Ronaldo. Despite starting the competition as Portugal’s biggest star, he was dropped from the starting XI in key matches, including the quarterfinal loss to Morocco. He is already 40 years old and may have played his final World Cup the last time.
It is still not certain of if he will compete in the 2026 edition of the World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.