'People like Rio Ferdinand are embarrassing themselves!' - Jamie Carragher slams Man Utd legend for defending Cristiano Ronaldo following Portugal walkout

The Al-Nassr forward is at the centre of another massive controversy. Ronaldo abruptly left the Portuguese national team camp following a major disagreement with head coach Jesus. This dramatic exit prompted the veteran forward to release a lengthy public statement addressing the situation.

Despite the widespread backlash, Ferdinand has remained fiercely loyal to his former Manchester United colleague. The ex-England defender has publicly backed Ronaldo during the ongoing fallout, putting him in the firing line from fellow pundits who feel the Al-Nassr star is entirely in the wrong.

Carragher did not hold back when addressing Ferdinand's stance on The Overlap Daily. The former Liverpool centre-back argued that personal relationships are clouding the judgement of prominent media figures.

"People think it’s good to be close to people in the game, but this is where it becomes a problem," Carragher explained. "People like Piers Morgan and Rio Ferdinand, who are big people in the media whether you like them or not, are embarrassing themselves with the nonsense that they’re coming out with because they know Ronaldo. You can know someone and try to look after them, but you cannot defend the indefensible."

This latest exchange adds to the ongoing friction between Carragher and Ferdinand. The pair previously engaged in a bitter social media spat last May ahead of a high-profile fixture between Liverpool and United.

Gary Neville has also weighed in on the saga, suggesting that Ronaldo's detailed public response only exacerbated the issue. While Neville admitted his enduring affection for the forward, he insisted that the superstar must face accountability.

"My view was that I would never criticise Ole Gunnar Solskjær because he conducted himself with great class, whether he was winning or losing," Neville noted. "With Cristiano, it’s difficult because I love him, but I can’t watch what happened at United in his second period and then see him make a statement like that without saying something. He has to be pulled up on that and told that it isn’t acceptable."

Neville highlighted how Ronaldo's immense wealth and influence have warped his reality, but praised Jesus for not bowing to player power.

"The problem is, who is going to tell him? He isn’t going to listen to me or you, but I can’t approve of that statement or pretend it was a good thing to do. If you love Ronaldo, it makes him more difficult to like; if you don’t like him, it makes you dislike him even more," he added. "When you have a billion pounds in the bank, the achievements he has had and the power he has, you feel you’re unbreakable, you feel you’re unstoppable. You think you can dictate to a federation or a manager what they should say. I’m glad the manager stood his ground. If he had read those eight points out, he would have lost a lot of his soul."

Despite the current turmoil, Neville remains confident that this ugly chapter will eventually fade into the background. "I don’t think it’s irretrievable. In another year, when he has retired, we will look back at his greatness and his football, and people might not remember this ending."

Ronaldo must now deal with the immediate fallout from his international dispute. With his relationship with the Portugal hierarchy seemingly fractured, the veteran forward faces an uphill battle to repair his standing within the national setup.

While his icon status remains intact, these recurring off-field distractions threaten to overshadow the twilight of his career. For now, Ronaldo will likely shift his focus back to club football, hoping that his form on the pitch can quiet the mounting criticism.