Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Portugal’s camp sparked major controversy, following a series of tensions with coach Jorge Jesús.
Amid the situation, his sister, Elma Aveiro, publicly came to the striker’s defense and questioned the treatment he received from the national team, the press, and the Portuguese football community.
“Cristiano Ronaldo deserved more respect. The national team deserved more structure. Portuguese journalism deserved more competence and less speculation. You deserved more!”, she wrote.
But Elma’s message was even harsher toward her compatriots. Referring to the Portuguese, she stated: “They don’t deserve to have the best of anything. We are envious, contemptuous, ignorant, and deserve to return to the mediocrity that had always characterized us in football before Cristiano”.
Her words reflect the family’s anger over the situation and suggest that they believe Portugal has not sufficiently valued what Ronaldo has contributed to the national team.