Cristiano Ronaldo receives support from prominent figures after ‘disgraceful’ decision: ‘Where were Portugal before Ronaldo?’

Rio Ferdinand and Piers Morgan have jumped to Cristiano Ronaldo's defence. The 41-year-old left the Portugal squad on Wednesday after a conflict with head coach Jorge Jesus and already appears to have played his last international, although there has still been no official word on that.

Ronaldo was left out against Norway and made no secret of his frustration. The striker did not thank the travelling supporters afterwards and did not train on Wednesday ahead of Thursday evening's next match against Denmark.

At his press conference, Jesus stressed that status plays no part at all when he picks his team and that he can leave Ronaldo on the bench for an entire match without any issue, as he did in Oslo. Ronaldo then left Portugal's training camp.

On Thursday, the first reports emerged that CR7 would lose the iconic No 7 shirt immediately. It has now been officially confirmed that Rafael Leão will wear No 7 in Copenhagen on Thursday evening, while Bruno Fernandes will take the captain's armband.

"Disgusting, if true," wrote journalist Piers Morgan, who had previously conducted a number of exclusive interviews with Ronaldo, before the news about the No 7 shirt was officially confirmed. "After everything Cristiano has done for Portugal... Why on earth are they treating him like this?"

"Yesterday was his father's birthday, and he played for his country on the day after his father had died. Shameful to see this shocking disdain for their greatest player," said Morgan.

Later, after the news was officially confirmed, Morgan posted again on X. "What an arrogant prick!" he said, referring to the head coach. "Jesus was never good enough to play for Portugal, now he is enjoying belittling Portugal's greatest player, Cristiano."

Rio Ferdinand, who played alongside Ronaldo for years at Manchester United, also feels the Al-Nassr forward deserves more respect. "Where were Portugal before Cristiano Ronaldo? What have they ever done? Did they even qualify for tournaments? Let alone win anything."

Portugal have qualified for the World Cup nine times in total. Six of those qualifications came after Ronaldo's debut in August 2003. The southern Europeans also appeared in 2002 (group stage), 1986 (group stage) and 1966, when Eusébio led them to third place.

They have also qualified for nine European Championships. Again, six of those came after Ronaldo's debut and three before it: in 2000 (semi-final), 1996 (quarter-final) and 1984 (semi-final). With Ronaldo, Portugal also won their first trophies: the European Championship (2016) and the Nations League twice (2019, 2025).

"What annoys me is that many people judge him on his last three or four years," Ferdinand continued. "He is still producing fantastic numbers for someone of his age. It doesn't matter which league that is in, they are still fantastic numbers."

"I think a lot of people need to go back in time for a moment... Look at his time at Juventus, what he did there. His time at Real Madrid. And his time at Manchester United. It's as if he has crammed three careers into one. Three world-class careers," Ferdinand concluded.

Disgusting, if true. After everything @Cristiano has done for Portugal, why the hell are they treating him like this? Yesterday was his father’s birthday, and he played for his country the day after his dad died. Shameful to see this shocking disrespect for their greatest player. https://t.co/xIAWqSrr7E — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 1, 2026

What an arrogant pr*ck. Jesus was never good enough to play for Portugal, now he delights in belittling the country’s greatest @Cristiano . https://t.co/t0bPSIm2b2 — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 1, 2026

Viva Ronaldo Put some respect on this guy pls! pic.twitter.com/WcgsSG4y0Z — Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) October 1, 2026