Wayne Rooney has hit out at Cristiano Ronaldo over the Portuguese forward’s abrupt departure from Portugal’s training camp during the most recent international break, a move whose repercussions are still being felt. Speaking on the Stick to United programme, Ronaldo’s former Manchester United teammate said his immediate reaction to what happened was disbelief. “The first thing I said to myself was ‘why?’ Undermining your coach, your teammates in the way he did was very wrong,” Rooney said, insisting that everything that took place from a footballing point of view was wrong.
Rooney also took issue with Ronaldo’s attempt to publicly influence his national team coach’s remarks after the incident. “You can’t tell a coach what he has to say. That goes beyond anything I’ve ever seen,” the former striker said.
His harshest assessment, however, concerned Ronaldo’s wider situation with the Portugal national team. For Rooney, the issue goes beyond a simple falling-out with the coach. “All players reach the moment to leave international football. It comes to everyone and, unfortunately, he is not handling it well. It is uncomfortable to watch,” he stated.
The comments add to the fallout from Ronaldo’s exit from the Portugal camp, which continues to generate reaction. Rooney and Ronaldo were teammates during their time together at Manchester United.