Former Germany midfielder, Mesut Ozil has blasted the critics of Portugal captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, saying that the former Real Madrid and Juventus striker deserved more respect.
Ozil came to the defence of his former teammate who has received some negative mentions in the press lately.
The Portugal captain went to the World Cup after a fallout with Manchester United which resulted in a mutual termination of his contract with the club.
Just when the United controversy was almost forgotten, Ronaldo was reported by some section of the press to have threatened to quit the national team camp after Coach Fernando Santos benched him in the 6-1 second-round drubbing of Switzerland, a claim the Portuguese federation has since debunked.
Ronaldo himself reacted and said that the team is united and cannot be broken by external forces.
But hours after the latest debacle, Ozil backed his friend and accused the media and pundits of negative press on Ronaldo. He praised the former Juventus forward for his achievement so far, saying the Portuguese will be able to match his numbers again.
“I really don’t get where this constant negativity from the press about Cristiano comes from … The Media is just trying to get clicks, and pundits who don’t have a career anymore just want to get attention with his big name and try to make him look bad,” the former Arsenal star tweeted Friday.
“He is soon 38 years old – so what’s the surprise that he doesn’t score 50 goals a season anymore? Every football fan out there should be happy to have seen him playing world-class football for 20 years
“I don’t think anyone from the new generation will be able to match his numbers again. He will forever be in his own category. Everyone should show more respect to one of the greatest athletes in sports history…”
Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates are getting set to take on Morocco in the quarter-final at the Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, on Saturday.
