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ristiano Ronaldo emotional after Portugal's World Cup defeat to Morocco. Online reactions to Ronaldo's post-match conduct were divided between reverence and criticism.
Cristiano Ronaldo's incredible emotional response to Portugal's World Cup defeat in Qatar has sparked divisive reactions online.
Portugal were unexpectedly eliminated from the World Cup competition on Saturday, losing in the quarter-finals to Morocco 1-0. Ronaldo, commonly considered one of the best football players of all time, left the field in tears after the results, with the Portuguese celebrity before pointing out that this year would mark his last World Cup before retirement. Despite his illustrious career, Ronaldo will probably never win the exact FIFA tournament, even if his previous statements about retirement are authentic.
After the emotional second, the online reaction drew an anticipatory wave of celebration and sympathy. However, some have also referred to different points of Ronaldo's post-form habits, in particular the proven fact that he did not shake hands with the Moroccan national team.
British journalist and former BBC correspondent Jon Sopel was among the latter, criticizing what he saw as Ronaldo's lack of sportsmanship in the defeat.
"Sorry. Bad form for Ronaldo now not residing to shake fingers with winners Morocco,” Sopel tweeted. “For a man who is such an iconic figure… Bad.”
Different users who responded to Sopel's tweet chimed in, accusing Ronaldo of being a “selfish, self-centered smug participant” and a “big baby.”
In the meantime, conservative commentator and journalist Piers Morgan praised Ronaldo as the greatest of all time and accepted the challenge along with his detractors. Morgan also referenced the player's own troubles last year, perhaps in reference to his son's death in the spring shortly after his birth.
“Very sad to see @Cristiano in tears when his dream of winning the Area Cup ended,” Morgan tweeted. “Those who mock him can still remember what he did for football. For me, he is [goat emoji] – and a great man who has had the most difficult year of his existence on and off the field. He earned our respect.”
Replies to Morgan's tweet were less consistent with his stance, with one consumer writing that the Moroccan team's Ronaldo remedy was still "embarrassing" and "selfish." Another consumer also highlighted how Morgan's name seemed to contrast with old posts he made about Argentine Lionel Messi, one of Ronaldo's most popular rivals.
Despite this, other extraordinary clients, including Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh and Cuban volleyball player Salvador Hidalgo Oliva, have expressed admiration for Ronaldo's legacy.
Taking a broader medical perspective, New York College (NYU) advertising professor and writer Scott Galloway laid out Ronaldo's World Cup data, also noting that good luck can also be a big part of success.
