Everyone should show more respect to Cristiano Ronaldo, says Mesut Ozil amid controversy

Cristiano Ronaldo has been at the centre of media attention in the last month or so. Since his explosive interview with Piers Morgan, the Portugal forward has been at the fulcrum of controversy.

Ronaldo's interview yielded a massive uproar as he criticised Manchester United, United boss Erik ten Hag and the United owners. He subsequently got his contract terminated by the Premier League club.

Even in the World Cup, the veteran has been involved in another fiasco as the Portugal boss openly criticised him for his reactions after his substitution against South Korea in a group-stage match.

Ozil supports Cristiano Ronaldo:

Amid all the array of criticism, Ronaldo has got his former Real Madrid colleague Mesut Ozil beside him.

Ozil, who donned the Real Madrid shirt along with Ronaldo from 2010 to 2013 at Real Madrid, lashed out at the media and pundits for targeting Cristiano Ronaldo in recent weeks.

"I really don't get where this constant negativity from the press about Cristiano comes from. The Media is just trying to get clicks, and pundits who don't have a career anymore just want to get attention with his big name and try to make him look bad," Ozil tweeted on Friday.

I really don't get where this constant negativity from the press about Cristiano comes from ... The Media is just trying to get clicks, and pundits who don't have a career anymore just want to get attention with his big name and try to make him look bad...

— Mesut Özil (@M10) December 9, 2022

He is soon 38 years old - so what's the surprise that he doesn't score 50 goals a season anymore? Every football fan out there should be happy to have seen him playing world class football for 20 years

— Mesut Özil (@M10) December 9, 2022

The former Arsenal player Ozil thinks Ronaldo is nearing 38 and he doesn't have to score 50 goals every year, hence the football fans must appreciate what the player has done for the past couple of decades or so.

Ronaldo is a character who has dominated media outlets since the inception of his career. The fantastic forward has more than 800 goals for club and country and Ozil thinks people should "show more respect" to the Portugal international, insisting no one from the new generation will be able to replicate Cristiano Ronaldo's achievements.

"I don't think anyone from the new generation will be able to match his numbers again. He will forever be in his own category. Everyone should show more respect to one of the greatest athletes in sports history," Ozil concluded in another tweet.