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The Backlash and Internal Conflict Surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo at the World Cup

Saturday, June 20, 2026
5 min read
The Backlash and Internal Conflict Surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo at the World Cup

The noise around Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal teammates right now is just intense. It’s all social media abuse following that dismal 1-1 draw against DR Congo at the World Cup. People are absolutely furious. They're suggesting he was deliberately kept out of the action, sidelined during the game itself.

That whole star-studded lineup just looked lost. They struggled to break down a Congo side that wasn’t even near them in the FIFA standings. And Ronaldo? He stood there as the oldest outfield player starting a World Cup match, but it felt like he had zero influence over anything happening on the pitch.

He got maybe twenty-five touches of the ball. That was the lowest number he managed in a major tournament game after playing ninety minutes. It just highlighted how disconnected he seemed.

The backlash didn't stop there. The criticism spilled over fast, hitting the players themselves too. Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Joao Neves, Pedro Neto they all got swamped by hostile messages from Ronaldo supporters online.

Neves faced particular heat after trying to push back, insisting that Ronaldo was just another player in the squad, focused only on getting Portugal to glory. That kind of statement seems to ignite things quickly when you’re already under pressure.

Then there’s his sister, Katia Aveiro. She jumped into the fray with something cryptic online. It wasn't a direct accusation, more of a feeling that the team had completely forgotten how to play forward during the match. Just safe passes everywhere.

She posted something kind of like: "Magically, they forgot how to pass the ball; win it back; launch counter-attacks. The game became all about passing backwards in midfield… strange World Cup. Very strange." It felt less like analysis and more like pure frustration leaking out.

Reports coming out of Portuguese media are getting heavy now. They’re talking about a potential ‘civil war’ brewing inside the dressing room if this pattern of abuse keeps going on against some of the players. But they’re simultaneously denying any actual plot to deny Ronaldo the ball, trying to keep it from sounding like an orchestrated move.

Ronaldo himself played exactly how he always does. He acted like a traditional centre-forward. No serious pressing. Zero defensive contribution. Just standing there and not moving much off the ball. Some of the fans just couldn't reconcile that limited impact with his status. They felt it went against the team’s overall style, denying them any sense of cohesion.

It’s weird how fast things spin out of control. You have you’ve got this massive figure, and suddenly you’re dealing with this kind of internal fallout, and outside noise piling up. Even people like former France striker Thierry Henry weighed in, questioning Ronaldo's decisions during those key attacking moments, arguing he prioritized his own goals over what the team actually needed at that time. It just keeps layering on top of everything else.

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

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