Cristiano Ronaldo was finally on Norwegian soil. Football enthusiasts and CR7 fans were very much looking forward to seeing the Portuguese world star, maybe even the iconic goal celebration (as long as Norway won). We didn’t get Ronaldo on the pitch or goal celebrations, nor victory for Norway. It was a tough loss against the reigning Nations League champions, but Cristiano was the one who was the most grumpy this evening. Now we understand why.
When you turn 41 as a footballer, you are well over the top. When your name is Cristiano Ronaldo and you are considered one of the best players in football history, then it doesn’t matter if you are 18 or 41. If you are in the match squad, then you play. Portugal ran away (literally) with a win against Norway at Ullevaal, CR7 fans had stood for hours to get a glimpse of their hero, the Ullevaal crowd was going to see a historic event with Ronaldo on Norwegian turf. It ended with a grumpy captain, now we understand why.
Because according to the Portuguese media Record , Ronaldo and national team coach Jorge Jesus had agreed before the international break on which matches Ronaldo would play. Both home games were selected for this, but according to the medium, the national team coach later decided that Ronaldo should also be substituted against Norway.
We all saw what happened. Ronaldo started the warm-up in the second half, but Norway pushed extremely for an equalizer – and Ronaldo remained unused.
The superstar is said to have been so unhappy with the situation that an extraordinary meeting was held between Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus at the Portuguese team’s hotel in Malmö on Tuesday evening. According to A Bola, the parties stated that there was a positive feeling afterwards, but Ronaldo did not attend the team’s training earlier in the day.
According to the media, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, Pedro Proença, has traveled north to get the situation under control, even though the plan was for him to attend the U21 national team match.
We understand why Ronaldo got cranky at the coach at Ullevaal, but with the match picture in the last half hour, everyone except the 41-year-old probably agrees that Jorge Jesus made the right football choice.
Sorry, Cristiano.
