Casablanca – Walid Regragui spoke on the growing controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal and argued that the situation has been poorly handled on both sides.
Speaking on Canal Football Club on Sunday, Regragui acknowledged Ronaldo’s immense contribution to Portuguese football but stressed that his status does not give him complete freedom within the national team.
“Cristiano Ronaldo has done Portugal a lot of good,” Regragui said. “That doesn’t give him the right to do whatever he wants, but I think this ending has been handled clumsily.”
He argued that Portugal should have addressed Ronaldo’s future directly with him, particularly given head coach Jorge Jesus’ previous relationship with the forward at Al Nassr.
Regragui then drew a comparison with Lionel Messi and Argentina.
“What I felt is that the Portuguese never had the same devotion to Ronaldo that the Argentinians have for Messi,” he said.
The former Atlas Lions coach went further, arguing that Argentina’s players accepted the sacrifices required to build around Messi in a way Portugal never fully did with Ronaldo.
“Portuguese players never wanted to run for CR7. Argentina accepted doing that for Messi, even at the last World Cup.” Regragui said.
He also suggested that Ronaldo’s pursuit of 1,000 career goals could be influencing his desire to continue at international level.
Ronaldo’s future with Portugal has become increasingly uncertain after he left the national-team camp following a dispute with Jesus. The 41-year-old later accused the coach of breaking promises regarding his playing time and the public explanation of his role.
Portugal provisionally suspended Ronaldo this week while disciplinary proceedings continue, although both Jesus and the Portuguese Football Federation have left the door open for a possible return.
Regragui knows the Portugal-Ronaldo dynamic from close range. He was Morocco’s coach when the Atlas Lions eliminated Portugal 1-0 in the 2022 World Cup quarterfinal, with Ronaldo starting the match on the bench.
