Ronaldo has spoiled child's ego — Portuguese fans turn on captain, compare him to Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo is facing a fierce wave of public backlash from Portuguese supporters following reports of friction between the 41-year-old forward and national team manager Jorge Jesus.

The backlash came in response to a recent remark from Record editor-in-chief Luís Pedro Sousa, who controversially argued that Portugal must treat Ronaldo the way Argentina treats Messi, granting him the same unquestioned national reverence Messi received in Argentina prior to his international retirement.

Portuguese supporters rejected the comparison across X, with several posts passing 100,000 views, dismissing the premise of the remark. 

Fans branded Ronaldo a "narcissist" and accused him of using the national team to "massage his spoiled child's ego", arguing that unlike Messi's enduring utility during his twilight international years, Ronaldo is now harmful to the team on and off the pitch.

The mounting supporter frustration stems directly from the captain's behaviour following Portugal's 2-1 UEFA Nations League victory over Norway on September 27.

During the fixture at the Ullevaal Stadion, Jesus opted to leave Ronaldo on the bench for the entire 90 minutes. The manager instead deployed João Félix and Gonçalo Ramos, who both scored (17', 54') to secure the victory despite a 51st-minute equaliser from Erling Haaland.

According to reports, Jesus had initially promised Ronaldo a 30-minute second-half cameo, a late appearance Jesus himself later acknowledged Ronaldo had been told to expect. 

However, following Ramos's go-ahead goal, the manager admitted the match no longer called for a striker of Ronaldo's profile, leaving the forward as an unused substitute.

Visibly furious at the tactical decision, Ronaldo refused to join the post-match celebrations. At the full-time whistle, he marched straight down the tunnel without acknowledging the travelling Portuguese supporters and subsequently escalated the tension by skipping the group's scheduled training session in Malmö, Sweden, ahead of the Denmark fixture on October 1. 

The FPF said he completed an individual gym session at the team hotel because the stadium lacked the equipment required.

The rapid deterioration of the manager-captain dynamic has triggered an immediate institutional intervention from the highest levels of Portuguese football.

On September 29, Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) president Pedro Proença changed his plans and travelled directly to Copenhagen for an emergency crisis meeting.

Proença is reportedly attempting to mediate the fractured relationship between Jesus and the forward before the dispute escalates. Jesus has denied any strain in the relationship, and RTP reports the two had already spoken on Tuesday night in an attempt to clear the air.