‘They have imposed a political ban on Cristiano Ronaldo’: Turkish president Erdogan

Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo had a tournament to forget in the recently concluded FIFA World Cup 2022. While the 37-year-old did become the first man to score at five different World Cups, nothing went right thereafter as the star forward ended with just one goal.

‘They have imposed a political ban on Cristiano Ronaldo’: Turkish president Erdogan

Ronaldo was also widely criticized on social media and by pundits for showing a bad attitude after being substituted against South Korea, then was benched against Switzerland and Morocco in the knockout stage.

Following Portugal’s 1-0 loss to Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinals, Ronaldo was left in tears. After the game, Ronaldo in a cryptic social media post had said that his dream of winning the World Cup with Portugal has ended, while stopping short of announcing his retirement from international duty.

However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come out in support of Ronaldo and said that he was subjected to a “political ban” at the World Cup.

“They have wasted Ronaldo. Unfortunately, they have imposed a political ban on him,” Erdogan said on Sunday while speaking at a youth event in the eastern Erzurum province.

Speaking via Anadolu Agency, Erdogan said, "Sending a footballer like Ronaldo to the pitch with just 30 minutes remaining to the match ruined his psychology and took away his energy."

“Ronaldo is someone who stands for the Palestinian cause,” he added.

In his first comments after the elimination, Ronaldo said Sunday that it was “time to take stock” without saying explicitly if he wants to carry on being available for Portugal after 19 years in the national team.

“There’s no point in reacting rashly,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram. “I just want everybody to know that a lot has been said, a lot has been written, a lot has been speculated about, but my dedication to Portugal has never wavered for an instant.

“I’ve always been just one more (Portuguese) fighting for everyone’s goal. I would never turn my back on my teammates or my country.”