According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Cristiano Ronaldo was “wasted” by Portugal in the 2022 World Cup and was thus subjected to a “political ban.”
The 37-year-old Ronaldo had a miserable time in Qatar as Portugal was eliminated by Morocco in the quarterfinals.
Fernando Santos benched him for both of his team’s knockout-stage games, and he only participated for 40 minutes of the loss to Morocco.
Despite becoming the first player to ever score in five different World Cups, the Portugal captain later admitted that his dream of winning the tournament was ended after experiencing further disappointment.
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To make matters worse, Lionel Messi, Ronaldo’s generational adversary, later led his nation to their first World Cup victory in 36 years.
Ronaldo was mistreated by his squad, according to well-known football supporter and former semi-pro Erdogan.
“They have wasted Ronaldo. Unfortunately, they have imposed a political ban on him,” Erdogan said at a youth event in the eastern Erzurum province on Sunday, according to Anadolu Agency.
“Sending a footballer like Ronaldo to the pitch with just 30 minutes remaining to the match ruined his psychology and took away his energy,”The leader continued.
Anadolu Agency quoted Erdogan as saying that Ronaldo “is someone who advocates for the Palestinian cause.”
Ronaldo allegedly gave $1.5 million to feed people in the Gaza Strip in 2019, but those rumours turned out to be untrue.
Erdogan claimed that Ronaldo was the victim of a “political ban,” but there was support for Palestine at the World Cup in Qatar, despite his claims.
After their matches, Moroccan players were seen parading with the Palestinian flag as they finished fourth at the tournament, the best-ever result for an African country.
Meanwhile, there is still a lot of conjecture about Ronaldo’s future.
Before the World Cup, the Portuguese forward left Manchester United under a cloud following an inflammatory TV interview in which he attacked the club’s management and manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo reportedly wants to stay in Europe so he can play Champions League football, but Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia has made him the only real offer.
According to the Spanish publication Marca, Ronaldo would receive a staggering €200 million ($212 million) per season on a two-and-a-half-year contract as a player, after which he would continue to serve as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia’s 2030 World Cup bid.
Erdogan, the president of Turkey, commented on the rumours, stating: “According to the information I obtained, Cristiano Ronaldo will go to Saudi Arabia.”
