Cristiano Ronaldo didn't have the best of World Cup in what might be the last tournament of his career. His country, Portugal were ousted in the quarter-final as they lost 0-1 to Morocco. Embroiled in controversy, Ronaldo wasn't a part of Portugal's starting XI in the round of 16 match against Switzerland and also in the quarter-final. On the other side, Lionel Messi with whom the Portugal striker is often compared with, lifted the World Cup trophy for the first time in his career as Argentina beat France 4-2 via penalties in the final of the tournament. On an individual level, Messi outshined Ronaldo as the Argentina captain scored seven goals in seven matches while Ronaldo could only manage one goal in five games in the World Cup 2022.
After Portugal's disappointing exit from the World Cup, Ronaldo is under fire from many football fans across the globe who are trolling the 37-year-old left,right and center. Amidst the extreme backlash towards the Portugal forward, former England captain in cricket, Kevin Pietersen has come to the defence of Ronaldo.
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"Any parent will resonate with this - ‘you’re only as happy as your unhappiest child.’ @Cristiano lost one of his children a few months ago & so I strongly feel, that the daily bashing of someone who we all know is completely broken, is sick, vile & absolutely disgusting! STOP!," tweeted Pietersen in support.
Before the World Cup, Ronaldo had a major rift with football club Manchester United and manager Erik ten Hag which had ultimately led to his ouster from the unit. The striker had refused to come on as substitute in Old Trafford's match against Tottenham Hotspur, among other disciplinary issues. Announcing the news of their separation on Twitter, the English club had tweeted "Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect.The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford,"
{{/usCountry}}Before the World Cup, Ronaldo had a major rift with football club Manchester United and manager Erik ten Hag which had ultimately led to his ouster from the unit. The striker had refused to come on as substitute in Old Trafford's match against Tottenham Hotspur, among other disciplinary issues. Announcing the news of their separation on Twitter, the English club had tweeted "Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect.The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford,"
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