Cristiano Ronaldo is being called a hypocrite in his feud with Jorge Jesus because of what he said about his old Portugal teammate back in 2011.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent comments about Ricardo Carvalho from 15 years ago make him seem a bit hypocritical in his disagreement with Portugal’s coach Jorge Jesus.
Ronaldo grabbed attention for the wrong reasons when he left Portugal’s team camp last week after Jesus left him on the bench during their 2-1 Nations League win over Norway. The 41-year-old soon posted on social media to confirm he had left and said he would explain his reasons later.
On October 6, Ronaldo shared a surprising post where he said his main issue with Jesus was that the coach told him he wouldn’t be part of the squad traveling to Norway and Denmark. Ronaldo said he disagreed because it wouldn’t set a good example for his teammates. He also revealed he was asked to think about quitting international football before apologizing to the Portuguese people.
In his statement, Ronaldo also pointed out eight things Jesus said at a press conference, which made him look even more hypocritical compared to what he once said about Ricardo Carvalho.
Back in September 2011, Carvalho left Portugal’s training camp because he felt disrespected by then-coach Paulo Bento. Carvalho said he had always been proud to play for Portugal and deserved respect like everyone else. He didn’t want to end his career that way but felt he had no choice. He thanked the Portuguese people and later retired after being banned for a year.
At that time, Ronaldo supported the coach’s decision over his Real Madrid teammate, saying, “No one has a guaranteed place on the team. There are no spots reserved for anyone. The coach knows best.”
Now, Ronaldo’s actions—arguing with Coach Jesus and leaving the camp—don’t match what he said back then about Carvalho, making him look like a hypocrite.
Throughout his long career, Ronaldo has usually been the star player and rarely benched at his clubs. But everyone faces aging, and his strong reaction to not playing against Norway shows he’s struggling with this change.
Even though his relationship with Jesus seems broken, many, including his former teammate Luka Modric, believe Ronaldo deserves a proper farewell with Portugal.
Unfortunately, just like Carvalho in 2011, leaving the national team’s camp without permission can lead to serious penalties from the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). Their rules say a player who leaves or misses team activities without a good reason can be suspended for one to six months and fined around 500 to 1,000 euros.
Ronaldo now faces the chance of a ban, which puts his return to the national team at risk. This might force him to retire, ending his amazing international career—where he scored 146 goals in 234 games—on a disappointing note.