Yamila Rodriguez is under the media’s attention yet again after wearing none other than Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal jersey.
Rodriguez, who proudly represented Argentina in the recently concluded Women’s World Cup, shared a photo of herself lounging in bed while donning a Portugal jersey on her Instagram story. The picture immediately got fans speculating about her intentions on Twitter. Some people assumed it was a dig at Lionel Messi, implying that she had a very negative opinion of the Argentine superstar.
🚨 Argentina 🇦🇷 women’s National Team player Yamila Rodriguez in a Portugal CR7 jersey 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/pHLeLjVtLD
— TCR. (@TeamCRonaldo) September 24, 2023
A Twitter user wrote, “She hates Pessi with a passion,” and another added, “Crap player who likes other crap players.” The post sparked a flood of comments from fans trying to figure out the secret meaning behind her unexpected jersey choice.
She hates pessi with a passion pic.twitter.com/ZMwmg8FwDH
— Adam Remfeld (@AdamoTPC) September 24, 2023
However, Yamila Rodriguez has previously caught attention for her contentious decisions. A picture of her tattoos went viral a few weeks earlier, making her the center of attention. A picture of Diego Maradona, Argentina’s 1986 World Cup hero, and a picture of Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo were both tattooed on Rodriguez’s left leg.
What made Yamila Rodriguez beg mercy for supporting Cristiano Ronaldo
Following the tattoo controversy, Rodriguez openly explained her decision, saying that her idol is Cristiano Ronaldo and not Messi. She absolutely admires everything about him. She said, “He is, without a doubt, the best player in the world.”
Her admiration for Ronaldo was clear and unwavering.“I watched him play and thought: how can he be so perfect? He surprises me with everything that he does. With this tattoo, now I have Cristiano with me forever,” she added.
Argentina forward Yamila Rodríguez’s tattoos are something else 🥶
Diego Maradona on the thigh ✅
Cristiano Ronaldo on the shin ✅ pic.twitter.com/jFWUTqfB9c— OneFootball (@OneFootball) July 14, 2023
The soccer community was shocked by this declaration, especially among the passionate Messi supporters. How an Argentine athlete could openly support Ronaldo over their beloved Messi was a subject of much debate. As the row grew more heated, Rodriguez felt compelled to respond to it on social media.
In a heartfelt post on Instagram, she pleaded with fans to understand her perspective: “Please, that’s enough. I’m not doing well. When did I say that I am anti-Messi? Stop saying things that I didn’t say because I’m really going through a tough time. We are not all obliged to only love the players from our country.”
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Argentina women’s striker Yamila Rodriguez has been heavily abused, attacked and criticised by Messi fans only because she has a Cristiano Ronaldo tattoo.
This is absolutely ridiculous and no one deserves to go through this only because they chose differently. pic.twitter.com/V0kEZ4bVu7
— The CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) July 25, 2023
Following her tweet, fans took to Twitter right away to voice their opinions about Rodriguez’s comments, and some targeted Lionel Messi’s supporters for their disapproval of Rodriguez. One commenter claimed that Messi’s supporters responded with insecurity.
Additionally, another supporter brought up a comment made by Paulo Dybala regarding the prevailing attitude in Argentina, where it’s frequently assumed that supporting Lionel Messi is required while keeping animosity towards Cristiano Ronaldo. Earlier, Dybala had said, “In Argentina, there’s a prevailing expectation that we must adore Messi and disdain CR7.”