Cristiano Ronaldo faces criticism from soccer fans due to his mid-game gesture towards Luis Castro. The Portuguese pointed to Al-Nassr’s coach, Luis Castro, to let him play five more minutes. Al-Nassr was down 3-1 to Benfica at the time of the incident during a pre-season friendly.
Ronaldo’s gesture didn’t sit right with fans, and they expressed their disappointment on social media about the incident. The majority of the fans pointed out that the coach shouldn’t be taking orders from his players. One comment stands out, which reads, “Ronaldo loves to play, but he doesn’t know when to make way for his teammates for the benefit of the club.”
Cristiano Ronaldo motioned to Al Nassr coach Luis Castro to let him play five more minutes with the club down 3-1 to Benfica in a friendly. pic.twitter.com/NY2uXAICwT
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 20, 2023
The fan pointed out similar issues at Manchester United, “This is why he had issues with Erik at Man United. Al Nassr’s coach shouldn’t be taking orders from any of his players; that undermines his authority and will not do him any good.”
Cristiano Ronaldo is known to sometimes take matters into his own hands on the managing front. The most infamous incident was when he actively ‘managed’ the Portuguese side from the sidelines in the 2016 Euros Final against France. Ronaldo was injured in the first half of the final but took it upon himself to be active on the sidelines.
Cristiano Ronaldo: “I gave a speech at half-time and was giving all the directions and encouragement I could from the side.” #ForçaPortugal pic.twitter.com/gome9k1FzB
— TheCristianoFan 🇵🇹 (@TheCristianoFan) October 30, 2016
The current incident of Ronaldo at Al Nassr seems harsh. The Portuguese just pointed out that he could play for five more minutes. The gesture could have been misinterpreted by the fans. Ronaldo could have been just responding to the coaching staff about his physical condition during the match.
Cristiano Ronaldo was heavily involved in the hiring process of Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro
Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Castro have been in the headlines a few times this summer. The last time the duo grabbed attention from the media was when reports came out that Ronaldo was heavily involved in the hiring process of the new manager of Al-Nassr, Luis Castro.
According to sports broadcaster Ben Jacobs, Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the key factors in appointing Luis Castro as the new manager of Al-Nassr. The Saudi club officially announced this month that Botafogo manager Luis Castro has been appointed as the new coach. Luis Castro replaced Dinko Jeličić, who was appointed as the Interim manager after Rudi Garcia was sacked by Al-Nassr in April.
🗣️ American billionaire John Textor (President of Botafogo):
– Luis Castro’s departure to Al Nassr?
“If Cristiano Ronaldo called me and asked me to take a plane and come to Riyadh, I would probably go too.”
— Cristiano Ronaldo News (@CRonaldoNews) July 12, 2023
Few eyebrows were raised when Luis Castro was announced as the manager. Few expected him to leave his place at the Brazilian Serie A side. He was sensational and a fan favorite at Botafogo. The Portuguese connection between Luis Castro and Ronaldo could be another factor that led to this appointment.
Luis Castro and Ronaldo have their work cut out for them after suffering back-to-back losses in the pre-season. The Saudi clubs will now travel to Japan to face PSG and Inter Milan.