Jamie Carragher criticizes Piers Morgan and Rio Ferdinand over Ronaldo defense

Football pundit Jamie Carragher has criticized Piers Morgan and Rio Ferdinand for their defense of Cristiano Ronaldo following a dispute with Portugal manager Jorge Jesus. The controversy began during a recent international break when the 41-year-old striker abruptly left the Portugal squad in Copenhagen ahead of a UEFA Nations League match against Denmark.

Ronaldo reportedly withdrew due to a disagreement with Jesus regarding unfulfilled commitments, specifically following an incident where he was instructed to participate in an extended warm-up session but remained unused on the bench during a match against Norway. While Ronaldo later apologized to fans via social media, Carragher suggested the walk-out was a tactic to force the manager out.

During an episode of ‘The Overlap Daily’, Carragher stated that Morgan and Ferdinand were ‘embarrassing themselves’ by offering support based on personal friendships with the player. Morgan compared Jesus to Erik ten Hag, while Ferdinand described the treatment of Ronaldo as ‘inappropriate’ and called for an apology from the manager.