Cristiano Ronaldo was visibly nervous throughout Sunday’s game versus Genoa, where he failed to score and missed a pair of easy opportunities. After the final whistle, he was pictured tossing the jersey to the ground, which a ball boy quickly scooped up.
While some publications saw it as a further signal of frustration, Goal.com reported that the star striker threw it towards a kid that asked for it. That has not stopped the criticism for the gesture. Quotidiano Sportivo called him out for lack of respect towards a sacred item. Tuttomercatoweb’s director Michele Criscitiello defined it as another step towards the “sunset of a spoiled superstar, who can no longer do with his feet what his brain is suggesting. His decline risks to be accelerated if he stays in Italy for another year.”
In his best chance, Ronaldo hit the post from point-blank range while trying to tap it in the empty net after the goalkeeper scrambled to deny Federico Chiesa. Alvaro Morata then easily bagged it from the middle of the box to double the Bianconeri’s lead in the first half.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the ire of the Portuguese ace continued in the locker room, where he punched the wall. The underlying factor is the uncertainty about the future. He does not believe the squad measures up to him and would like guarantees about the reinforcements in the summer, but the club does not seem in a position to provide them. Moreover, it would not be easy for him to find another team willing to take on his massive salary in this day and age.