Cristiano Ronaldo: Arturo Vidal slams Jorge Jesus!

Arturo Vidal has backed Cristiano Ronaldo and fiercely criticised the Portugal manager

Europe Today at 15:00

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Cristiano Ronaldo: Arturo Vidal slams Jorge Jesus!

The crisis surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo continues to spark reactions. Arturo Vidal has publicly supported the Portuguese star while taking aim at Jorge Jesus.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from the Portugal camp has attracted attention far beyond the country’s borders. With the international future of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner still at the centre of the debate, Arturo Vidal has decided to clearly take CR7’s side.

In comments reported by Cadena SER, the Chilean midfielder from Colo-Colo did not hold back in his criticism of Jorge Jesus.

“The coach is wrong. I fully support Cristiano. It is really a shame that a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, who is among the four best players in the history of football, should leave Portugal in these circumstances,” he said.

Vidal: “CR7 must be protected”

The former Juventus, Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona player believes above all that Ronaldo’s historical status should have been taken more into consideration.

“We have to look after CR7, we have to protect him. He is the one who lifted Portugal among the best teams in the world, who raised football and Portugal to another level.”

Vidal went even further by defending the Portuguese star’s freedom to make his own decisions:

“Cristiano is entirely entitled to do what he wants, because what he has brought to football and the Portugal national team is that he has raised it to another level.”

Before concluding:

“Cristiano Ronaldo has my full support. He is extraordinary in what he does. There are coaches who do not respect certain things.”

Ronaldo and Vidal have faced each other nine times

Arturo Vidal has never been Cristiano Ronaldo’s club teammate, but the two men know each other very well, having faced off nine times during their careers. Four of those duels took place in matches between Juventus and Real Madrid in the Champions League between 2013 and 2015.

They then met twice in the 2017 Champions League quarter-finals between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, and later in the 2017 Confederations Cup semi-final between Chile and Portugal. Finally, Vidal and Ronaldo crossed paths twice more in 2021 in Inter Milan–Juventus encounters.

The record from those nine meetings favours Ronaldo’s teams: four wins for CR7, two for Vidal and three draws. Their international duel in 2017 ended 0-0 before Chile qualified on penalties.

The Ronaldo saga remains unresolved

Cristiano Ronaldo had confirmed his departure from the Portugal camp, promising to explain the reasons for his decision at a later date. For his part, Jorge Jesus also announced that he would address the matter once the international window had ended.

While awaiting those explanations, reactions continue to multiply. Arturo Vidal’s is one of the strongest: the Chilean clearly believes that Jorge Jesus’ handling of the situation does not reflect Cristiano Ronaldo’s importance in Portugal’s history.