Rooney takes aim at pitiful Cristiano Ronaldo over ‘so wrong’ refusal to accept he’s finished

· Football365

Wayne Rooney has hit out at former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo’s “so wrong” Portugal outburst.

Wayne Rooney has hit out at former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo’s “so wrong” Portugal outburst.

Ronaldo flounced out of the Portugal camp during the international break over what he insists were the broken promises of manager Jorge Jesus.

The Al Nassr striker was an unused substitute against Norway before being told he would not start against Denmark and hopped on a private jet in anger before admitting he deserved to be punished for his strop while insisting he wouldn’t retire from international football in an extraordinarily long and narcissistic statement.

Piers Morgan and fellow fanboy Rio Ferdinand jumped to Ronaldo’s aid, but a majority of pundits have taken a similar stance to Rooney, who believes what his ex-teammate did was “wrong in every sense”.

“My thoughts on Ronaldo were – ‘why?’,” Rooney said on Stick to United.

> “He’s such a great player, and I think when you see it was the same day Messi was retiring from Argentina, for him to come out of that Portugal squad that way, and then put that statement out… it’s just wrong in every sense.

> “To undermine your manager, undermine your team-mates, it was just so wrong. To undermine the Portuguese FA!

> “Everything about it was just wrong, from a football point of view, being a team-mate and being a manager, it wasn’t nice to see.”

Rooney retired from football in 2021 before a brief managerial career preceded his move into the media, and says it’s “uncomfortable to see” Ronaldo’s refusal to accept that his time at the highest level is over.

Rooney continued: “You know what’s a shame? It comes to every player. You have to finish international football, you have to finish football.

> “Unfortunately he’s not dealing with it well, and it’s getting uncomfortable to see.”

Ronaldo’s statement detailed an eight-point list of statements he wanted Jesus to deliver to reporters in his press conference and Rooney couldn’t believe the gall of the man.

He added: “You can’t tell the manager what he’s got to say in a press conference. That just goes beyond anything I’ve ever seen.

> “This is part of his strength as well, I don’t think he listens to anyone, he’s doing what he is doing.”

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