‘Political ban’: Turkish president Erdogan reacts to Cristiano Ronaldo’s FIFA World Cup substitute role in knockouts

2022 can easily be summed up as Cristiano Ronaldo’s worst year in football. The 37-year-old failed to find a suitor in the summer transfer window and then fell out of Erik ten Hag’s favour. The Portugal captain featured in only 10 Premier League outings in the ongoing season, scoring one goal. Meanwhile, he bagged two goals and assists in the Europa League. It turned more sour during the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, as he was benched for the Round of 16 and quarter-final fixtures.

Ronaldo scored a goal during the opener in Qatar but failed to have an impact as his side also lost to South Korea in their final group stage game. For the Round of 16 encounter vs Switzerland, the former Real Madrid was benched, with Goncalo Ramos replacing him as the solitary striker. The Benfica man went on to score a hat-trick in his World Cup debut, with Ronaldo making a substitute appearance in a 6-1 win. But then Ramos failed to impress in the quarter-final, as Portugal crashed to a 1-0 defeat and were knocked out.

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Speaking via Anadolu Agency, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to Ronaldo’s defence and labelled his recent woes in the World Cup as a ‘political ban’. “They have wasted Ronaldo. Unfortunately, they have imposed a political ban on him. Sending a footballer like Ronaldo to the pitch with just 30 minutes remaining to the match ruined his psychology and took away his energy”, he said.

Ronaldo’s only goal in Qatar came from the penalty spot and he was also at fault for one of South Korea’s goals. He is currently without a club after Manchester United terminated his contract due to a controversial interview with Piers Morgan, where he criticised the club’s hierarchy and Ten Hag.