Cristiano Ronaldo’s biggest ego moments ranked as the Al Nassr star sends a 2,000-word statement to the Portugal FA
Everyone knows Cristiano Ronaldo is full of confidence, but his latest actions rank among some of his most self-centered moments. After leaving the Portugal national team following a clash with manager Jorge Jesus, Ronaldo was officially punished by the Portuguese Football Federation.
Even though he said sorry, Ronaldo was still suspended for 30 days and fined a small amount of €255 (£215). Interestingly, Ronaldo responded to the charge with a 2,000-word statement for the federation. According to Sky Sports’ Anthony Joseph, Ronaldo was also asked to provide proof to help his case, and he sent over his CV – listing every trophy he’s won in the last 24 years.
It’s classic Ronaldo behavior: confident and proud of his amazing career full of goals and wins, but sometimes a bit on the arrogant side. SPORTbible has looked back at 10 other moments that show his big ego.
Starting with the recent Portugal fallout, Ronaldo shared an eight-point message for Jesus to read at a press conference. In an Instagram statement, Ronaldo wanted Jesus to recognize his achievements and importance to the team, and said he still wants Jesus involved. One standout line compared Ronaldo to legends like Pelé and Maradona. Jesus was about to say, “I made a mistake by putting someone of the stature of Pelé or Maradona on to warm up and then not putting him in the game,” but Ronaldo was upset Jesus didn’t follow the plan.
Ronaldo loves posting Instagram statements almost as much as scoring goals. One memorable post in 2021 had him saying: “2021 was tough, even though I scored 47 goals in all competitions.” He talked about his trophies at Juventus and admitted he wasn’t happy with how things were going at Manchester United.
His hunger for goals is so strong that once, during a Real Madrid game in 2012, he tried to stop teammate Gonzalo Higuaín from scoring—kind of tackling him! On the Euro 2016 final, though injured, Ronaldo stood on the sidelines cheering, almost acting like the coach, showing his passion as Portugal won.
Ronaldo’s vanity is well-known. When Dinamo Zagreb fans jeered him in 2011, he joked it must be because “I’m good-looking, rich, and a great footballer – they must be jealous.” Another time, he was upset when teammate Álvaro Arbeloa scored instead of him, kicking the ball into the net angrily before shaking his head. Arbeloa said Ronaldo’s reaction just showed how hungry he was to score.
Ronaldo’s drama with Jesus is similar to his clash with Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. In a game against Spurs, Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute and even walked off early. He was later dropped and eventually left the club by mutual agreement. Ten Hag said Ronaldo “let the team down,” while Ronaldo publicly said he didn’t respect the manager.
Ronaldo’s great self-belief has taken him to the top. In a 2017 interview after matching Lionel Messi’s Ballon d’Or wins, he said he’s never seen anyone better than himself, calling himself the most complete player. He highlighted his skills with both feet, heading, speed, strength, goals, and assists. Ronaldo said no player has won as many individual awards as he has, which shows it’s more than just hard gym work that makes him so special.