Cristiano Ronaldo fired back at the haters in the Portuguese’s overwhelming 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan on Tuesday.
The 41-year-old striker scored twice, including an early first goal to make him the first man to score in six FIFA World Cups.
He had an impressive night which came after a tough previous match where he was not able to perform well in Portugal’s previous 1-1 match against the DR Congo.
Many people and analysts wondered after that poor showing if Ronaldo should be a regular starter for Portugal anymore.
Some even suggested to the head coach Roberto Martinez that the veteran forward should be left out of the team.
Ronaldo answered in the best way possible, with an amazing performance. He then went back and cheered by yelling “I’m back” into a television camera after the game.
Ronaldo told reporters that the previous week for him, his team and coach had been tough due to all the criticism they were receiving.
But he claims he’s now accustomed to such remarks in his lengthy career.
He said that for 23 years now, when the going got tough, people started saying Cristiano is too old or finished. He further said that today’s performance from him and his team is the reply to critics.
The Portuguese captain, who is also the record holder for the most goals in men’s international football with 145 goals, deflected comparisons with some of the players like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
Ronaldo’s confidence in his talent is still high and he encouraged the team to tune out criticisms from the audience.
He said that, “when Portugal gets bad, they pick on me, but I’m a strong individual and I’ve gotten used to it and just keep going.”
Portugal is now on the brink of advancing to the knockout stage in the World Cup.
Also read: Ronaldo fails to shine as DR Congo earn World Cup point
