Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has criticized Portugal’s captain Cristiano Ronaldo for playing in his team’s 2-0 loss to Georgia in the UEFA Euro 2024 Group F match.
Ronaldo faced challenges during Portugal’s Euro 2024 campaign in Germany, failing to score a goal in five games. Despite this, he did make an assist during the tournament.
On The Obi One Podcast, Mikel shared his thoughts on Ronaldo’s performance in the Euro 2024 campaign.
“Even if you are a [Lionel] Messi fan, your respect [has to go to] him. You can’t like them both, everyone has their own opinion.
“I have my opinion on who I think the [greatest of all time] GOAT is. Now, Messi winning the Copa America again with Argentina and leading them to glory [puts him ahead]. Of course, Ronaldo, you could say that [he had a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign],” Obi Mikel said.
“A lot of people criticized Ronaldo about taking [all of the] free-kicks, about trying to do everything [on his own], trying to play every game.
“But I have said it a few times, the only place I criticize him in that tournament is [his decision] to play the game against Georgia.
“He did not need to play that game. You are 39 years old, take a break. Have a rest and refresh for the next game,” he added.
