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Cristiano Ronaldo has stirred fresh unrest around the Portugal national team. The 41-year-old forward left the Portugal camp earlier this week after a clash with head coach Jorge Jesus and has now added fuel to it with a notable like on Instagram.
In a video from Sport TV, a Brazilian channel, Felipe Melo is seen defending Ronaldo. He says he is fully on the side of the star and also takes aim at his team-mates and head coach Jorge Jesus.
"There is a big difference in how the Portuguese treat Cristiano Ronaldo and how the Argentinians treat Lionel Messi," Melo begins his plea. He is referring, among other things, to the farewell match organised for Messi with the Argentina national team.
"But I also see more respect from opponents when they play against Ronaldo than from his own team-mates. Did you see that Napoli player (Højlund, ed.) who scored yesterday? He became unbelievably angry and even pushed Jorge Jesus."
Melo doubles down on that point. "I see more respect from him than from his own international team-mates. Nobody there even comes close to him, nobody is even in the same class as Cristiano," Melo says firmly. "You cannot just let the best player in history leave."
He then goes further. "He is one of the best players of all time and Portugal’s best. It is impossible. To put it very clearly: between Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus, I am absolutely on Cristiano’s side. But if they prove to me tomorrow that he was disrespectful, that everything was planned and agreed, and that he left of his own accord, then I will be the first to admit that I was wrong," he concludes.
Ronaldo appears to agree with Melo's words, with the Instagram post showing that the Portuguese star liked it.