Ronaldo vs Portugal drama escalates after Al-Nassr star likes Instagram post criticising teammates

Cristiano Ronaldo has fuelled the growing controversy surrounding his Portugal departure after appearing to like an Instagram post criticising his national-team teammates.

The Al-Nassr star walked out of Portugal’s camp this week amid tension with new head coach Jorge Jesus, and the latest social-media activity has added another twist to the saga.

Ronaldo’s international future has been thrown into further doubt after he left the Portugal camp and subsequently missed Thursday’s 4-2 victory over Denmark.

The 41-year-old had been expected to come off the bench during Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway, but Jesus changed his plans and left the veteran forward on the bench for the entire match. Ronaldo then departed the camp and later confirmed that comments made by Jesus had influenced his decision.

“In due course, I will tell the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons behind my departure from the national team, to which I have always been dedicated. Now is the time to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my teammates, without exception,” Ronaldo wrote.

The latest development came when fans noticed that Ronaldo’s official Instagram account had liked a post featuring comments from former Brazil international Felipe Melo.

Melo argued that Ronaldo receives greater respect from opponents than from his own Portugal teammates, using Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund as an example after he celebrated his goal against Portugal with Ronaldo’s trademark ‘Siuuu’ celebration.

“I see a grotesque difference in the players’ treatment with Cristiano Ronaldo in relation to Argentina players with [Lionel] Messi. I see much more respect from the opponents who play against Cristiano Ronaldo, I think that’s wrong,” Melo said, according to CNN Brasil.

Melo went further in his defence of Ronaldo, arguing that the Portugal captain should not be allowed to leave the national team in such circumstances.

“No one reaches the level of Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s unacceptable. You can’t let the best player in history leave like that, as if nothing had happened. You can’t,” he reportedly added.

The fact that Ronaldo’s account, which has more than 679 million Instagram followers, liked the post immediately attracted attention from football fans.

The development comes as Ronaldo’s relationship with Jesus remains under intense scrutiny following his departure from the squad.

Portugal have already demonstrated that they can produce results without their captain, beating Denmark 4-2 after Ronaldo left the camp. He is also set to miss their next Nations League fixture against Norway.

For now, Ronaldo has promised to explain his reasons for leaving when the time is right. Until then, his apparent endorsement of Melo’s criticism has added another intriguing chapter to an increasingly tense situation surrounding one of the biggest figures in Portuguese football.