Joao Cancelo has raised eyebrows by claiming Portugal team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo is beyond his ‘peak’ as a footballer and that the team ‘don’t depend entirely on him’.
Portugal are preparing for two friendlies against Sweden and Slovenia this week, though Al-Nassr star Ronaldo won’t feature in the former game despite being named by boss Roberto Martinez in his 32-man squad.
The Saudi Pro League is currently on pause for the international break and Ronaldo has been given some time of to go on holiday with his partner Georgina Rodriguez and his family before returning for the Slovenia clash.
However, Cancelo’s comments about Ronaldo when asked about his importance to the team might not have sat well with the ex-Man United, Real Madrid and Juventus star, after suggesting his team-mates did not rely on him.
The former Man City full-back insisted Ronaldo was still ‘important’ but claimed he was now past his best.
‘He is an important player and spent 15 years competing with Messi for the Ballon d’Or, but the peak of a footballer’s career is between the ages of 25 and 32,’ he told Portuguese radio station RTP.
‘He is an important player for us, but the national team does not depend entirely on him.’
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner – who joined Al-Nassr at the end of 2022 – has unsurprisingly stayed in the headlines in recent years since his explosive exit from Man United.
He came under fire during the 2022 World Cup after being pictured leaving the field early after being dropped during a group stage game and reportedly fell out with former boss Fernando Santos – with some outlets suggestion he wanted to fly home.
Since replacing Santos, Martinez has consistently said Ronaldo remains in his plans as he said his contagious hunger’ was keeping him in contention.
‘I’ve worked with many, but what sets Cristiano apart is the need to always be prepared to be the best. A contagious hunger, but very difficult to achieve.’
Ronaldo, who scored his 50th goal with Al-Nassr last week, has also been in the limelight for the wrong reasons this season earlier this month after being banned for one match by the Saudi Pro League for ‘provoking’ Al-Shabab fans with an offensive gesture, having been goaded by chants of ‘Messi, Messi’.
Now 39, Ronaldo is Portugal’s top scorer of all time with 128 goals, and also has their highest amount of caps with 205.
He is bidding to finish his storied career with 1,000 goals. He is currently on 879.
However, some fans have been left concerned about the forward after seeing a picture of his battered, swollen feet he posted on social media last week.
Ronaldo posted a picture of himself in a pair of Erakulis trousers, designed to speed up recovery after games, at the £700-per-night St Regis in Saudi Arabia.
’22 years of pro footy man look at his feet.. he wakes up with crazy pain everyday for sure,’ one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Another wrote: ‘Look at his feet man, imagine the pain everyday,’
‘This is worse than Lebron [James] wow I heard he used to wear super tight boots too,’ a third said, in reference to the iconic image of the NBA legend.
While a fourth joked: ‘His big toes are screaming for help.’
Indeed, it is true that Ronaldo has put his body through a great deal of work during his time as a professional.
Friday’s Saudi Pro League clash took his number of matches at club level to a staggering 1,001.
DAILY MAIL
