'Cristiano Ronaldo's ego damaged Portugal in FIFA World Cup,' says Lothar Matthaus

Lothar Matthaus called Cristiano Ronaldo a big failure at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar as Portugal went down in the quarterfinals to Morocco 0-1 for an unexpected exit. The Lothar Matthaus felt it was Cristiano Ronaldo’s ego that damaged the national team and his own legacy in Qatar. “With his ego trips, Ronaldo has damaged the team and himself," Matthaus told German newspaper Bild. “There is no doubt that he was a great player and an absolutely lethal finisher. But now he has damaged his legacy. I find it hard to think that he can find a place in a team. I kind of feel sorry for Ronaldo.”

Ronaldo, who came to the World Cup without a club after his infamous spat with Manchester United following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, failed to score during the group stages and ran out of favour with coach Fernando Santos. His finger-to-the lip gesture didn’t please the Santos, who dropped him to the bench for the knockout stage while handing the spot to Goncalo Ramos. Ramos made the most of the opportunity with a hat-trick against Switzerland in a 6-1 rout.

Ronaldo was used as a substitute in the match, followed by Morocco’s game but the 37-year-old striker failed to impact the game as Portugal made unceremonious exit.

Matthaus felt eventual World Cup winner Lionel Messi was exactly the opposite of Ronaldo at the World Cup while calling him the player of the millennium.

“Ronaldo is of course a big failure of the World Cup, the opposite of Messi. [Messi is] the absolute winner. He deserves it because he has given me and all football fans great joy with his qualities and the way he plays over 17-18 years. For me, Messi is the player of the millennium,” said the 61-year-old retired midfielder.

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