Germany legend Lothar Matthaus has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo was a ‘big failure’ at Qatar World Cup 2022 and believes the Portuguese superstar damaged his legacy at the latest edition of the FIFA World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s hopes of securing the FIFA World Cup title, which has eluded him in his trophy-laden career, at Qatar 2022 ended when Morocco knocked Portugal out of the competition in the quarter-final.
Cristiano Ronaldo endured a disappointing campaign at Qatar 2022 as he managed to score only one goal for Portugal in five games he featured in at the latest edition of FIFA’s flagship quadrennial event.
Ronaldo started in all three of Portugal’s Group H matches at Qatar 2022, but manager Fernando Santos dropped the 37-year-old to the bench in their round-of-16 and quarter-finals clashes. Ronaldo did come off the bench in both matches, but could not contribute much as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Big Failure of the FIFA World Cup 2022, Says Lothar Matthaus
Speaking to BILD, Lothar Matthaus claimed Cristiano Ronaldo was a ‘big failure’ at Qatar World Cup 2022 while his eternal rivals Lionel Messi was an ‘absolute winner’.
Lothar Matthaus also believes Cristiano Ronaldo damaged the team and himself with his ‘ego trips’. “With his ego trips, Ronaldo has damaged the team and himself,” Lothar Matthaus told Bild [via Metro].
“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 is of course a big failure of the World Cup, the opposite of Messi. [Messi is] the absolute winner.”
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo is currently a free agent after Manchester United terminated his contract by mutual consent in November. He returned to Manchester United in the summer of 2021, signing a two-year contract with option for a further year.
But his stay at the Premier League club was cut short following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan in which criticized Manchester United and Erik ten Hag among many others. Manchester United then decided to part ways with Cristiano Ronaldo, terminating his contract by mutual consent.