RTE pundit slams Ronaldo for ’embarrassing’ moment at Euros & compares to Messi

DIETMAR HAMANN let loose on Cristiano Ronaldo for crying after missing a penalty at Euro 2024.

The 39-year-old burst into tears after seeing a spot-kick stopped by Jan Oblak in extra-time of Portugal‘s quarter-final against Slovenia.

He was consoled by his international teammates, as Roberto Martinez‘s men went on to progress following a shoot-out in which Ronaldo scored.

Speaking on RTE afterwards, Hamann slammed the Manchester United and Real Madrid legend for his emotional reaction.

He fumed: “He has got a responsibility towards the team.

“He is captain of the team. He has got a responsibility and if he doesn’t feel he can help the team anymore, he has got to say to the manager, ‘you’ve got to take me off’.

“This was the most embarrassing decision I have seen ever. Lisa [Fallon, co-pundit] said she hasn’t seen it from Ronaldo.

“I haven’t seen it of anyone.

“He is a role model, there are a lot of kids who want to be like him and failing is part of the game.”

Ronaldo‘s pain very nearly got even worse in the second-half of extra-time, when a Pepe mistake let Benjamin Šeško in on goal.

The RB Leipzig forward was denied at point blank range by Diogo Costa, who went on to save all three of Slovenia‘s penalties in the shoot-out.

Hamann added: “If he takes responsibility, you miss, it is part of the game.

“Nobody is going to have a go at him for missing it and I don’t know what he wanted to tell us with his reaction.

“I just found it utterly embarrassing what he did because it is a team game and you are still in the game. It is still 0-0.

“You have still got every chance to go through. Obviously if Šeško scores the goal, then it would have mattered and he could have cried after the game.”

Fellow Republic of Ireland international and fellow RTE pundit Shay Given chimed in: “If anything, it should have been Ronaldo going, ‘lads, we are still in this.’

“He is the captain. He should be going, ‘I’ve scored loads of goals, I will get a goal second-half.

“Everyone is hugging him and around him.”

Hamann stirred the pot even more by comparing Ronaldo’s reaction to Lionel Messi, claiming that the Argentina and Barcelona icon is more of a team player.

He said: “You have got a responsibility towards the team, the staff, the nation, everybody.

“He has been a terrific footballer and the numbers he has amassed probably won;t be beaten.

“Messi and him been two of a kind but here you have got one player who is an absolute team player who is probably appreciated by everybody and on the other hand, you have a guy who misses a penalty and then starts crying on the pitch which I have never seen before.

“And then you have got young kids, substitutes of Portugal, they hug him at half-time of extra-time, a guy who has, what, 230 caps? Out of order,”