“Act properly.” Joao Neves is paying the price for his words about Ronaldo

Portugal’s Joao Neves has sparked controversy in his country after he made scathing comments about captain Cristiano Ronaldo following a disappointing 1-1 draw against Democratic Republic of Congo in the first round of the 2026 World Cup.

Neves scored Portugal’s only goal of the game before speaking about Ronaldo’s role in the national team, stressing that the veteran star is no longer treated as an exceptional case within the group as he once was.

A football player unlike any other

The player of “Paris Saint-Germain” said. “We all know what Cristiano has given us, the Portuguese national team and the world of football, but at this moment he understands, like us, that he is no different from the others.”

He added: “He’s another team player who helps the group like all players do. He is here to contribute and support the team like everyone else.”

Poor performance

Neves’ comments came after Ronaldo’s underwhelming performance against the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he spent the entire match failing to hit the post or hit a single shot between the posts.

The match witnessed Saudi captain Al-Nasr’s continued struggles to score at major tournaments after he went a tenth consecutive game without a goal at the World Cup or European Championships, reigniting debate over his place in coach Roberto Martinez’s starting line-up.

Despite his involvement throughout the 90 minutes, Ronaldo had just 25 touches of the ball, far fewer than the four Portuguese players who came on as substitutes during the match, apart from goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

Great anger

According to the observation of the newspaper.The sun“British Neves’ comments have caused widespread reactions on social media, as the young player has been heavily criticized by Ronaldo fans, who found his speech inappropriate for the captain of the national team and one of the greatest players in football history.

Neves’ accounts on social media platforms were flooded with angry messages demanding more respect for Ronaldo, while criticism was also directed at his friend Maddalena Aragao, who also received comments regarding the row surrounding the Portugal captain.

Comments from Neves users include: “Let me be clear. Your comments about Cristiano Ronaldo were disrespectful and unprofessional. You don’t have to like him, but you have to respect him. This is a man who has won 5 Ballon d’Or and 5 Champions League titles and is football’s all-time leading scorer.”

One said: “That’s why millions of kids love football and wear it under their feet, including players of your generation.”

The third added: “You are a young player with great talent, but talent means nothing without respect. Legends are the ones who created this game and paved the way for you, so act accordingly.”

Comments also included: “Show class and only mention Ronaldo’s name with great respect.”

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Other responses included similar criticism of Neves, with a number of fans asking him to stop blaming Ronaldo for the team’s slump, while others urged Portugal’s players to support their captain in the same way Argentines support Lionel Messi.

Reactions spread to her friend Madalena Aragao’s account, where one follower wrote:

While others stressed that Ronaldo remains one of the greatest players in the history of football and that what he has given to the Portuguese national team during his career deserves more appreciation from his teammates and fans.

Portugal prepare to play their second group game against Uzbekistan with high expectations to see if Ronaldo will continue in the starting line-up following criticism of him following the clash with the Democratic Republic of Congo.