‘I’m better looking than him’: Ronaldo breaks silence on Rooney criticism in bombshell interview ahead of FIFA World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t been at his personal best during the ongoing 2022-23 season and the Manchester United star has been on the receiving end of plenty of criticism from fans and former player. Even recently, Ronaldo’s former teammate Wayne Rooney lashed out at the Portugal captain and called his behaviour ‘not acceptable’ and also asked him to ‘get his head down and work’.

But it looks like Ronaldo hasn’t taken the criticism well and hit back at the former England captain in a bombshell interview. Speaking to The Sun, he said, “I don’t know why he criticises me so badly… probably because he finished his career and I’m still playing at high level”.

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“I’m not going to say that I’m looking better than him. Which is true”, he further added.

In his criticism, Rooney called Ronaldo ‘an unwanted distraction’ during a conversation with TalkSport. “For Cristiano, just get your head down and work and be ready to play when the manager needs you. If he does that, he will be an asset. If he doesn’t, it will become an unwanted distraction”, he said.

“Him and Messi are arguably the two best players of all time and you can go either way with that, whatever way you decide. But I just think the things he has done from the start of the season, is not acceptable for Manchester United”, he added.

The former Real Madrid man attempted to leave Manchester United during the transfer window, after the Premier League failed to secure UEFA Champions League qualification. Despite his superstar status, Ronaldo failed to find a suitor and had to remain in England. During the ongoing season, he has been able to score only once in 10 Premier League matches and has also grabbed two goals in six Europa League matches.

Now Ronaldo will be aiming to concentrate on the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022, scheduled for this month in Qatar. Portugal are placed in Group H, alongwith Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea. Eyeing their first-ever World Cup title, they will open their campaign against Ghana on November 24 at Stadium 974 in Doha.