Cristiano Rolando is getting flak from all sides just now.
The criticism of how he acted at the end of his time at Manchester United seemed justified to me.
There was nothing classy about his Piers Morgan TV interview.
And the attitude he showed when he was substituted for Portugal at the World Cup wasn’t a good look either.
But it’s become a bit of a free-for-all and some of the hits he’s taking are over the top.
No athlete who has got to the heights Ronaldo has reached would be comfortable as a bit-part player, which has become his role in Qatar.
Whether it’s Messi in football or one of the rugby greats, they’re not going to be smiling from ear to ear sitting on the substitutes bench.
Official statement from Portuguese FA 🚨🇵🇹 #Qatar2022
“Reports claiming Cristiano Ronaldo threatened to leave the national team during a conversation with Fernando Santos are not true — FPF clarifies that at no time did Cristiano threaten to leave the national team in Qatar”. pic.twitter.com/xEJO98ZaXM
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 8, 2022
I was a skip all my professional curling career and I don’t know how I would have felt if mid-Olympics I was suddenly told I was the lead or, even worse, the alternate.
I’d like to think I would be a good team-mate for as long as the competition lasted but it would be very hard to take.
Just look at Brian O’Driscoll a few years ago on the Lions tour to Australia.
He was dropped for the final test match, which the Lions won.
When he was smiling it looked forced and his interviews since have painted a picture of a world class rugby player who was so used to being the main man that he found it impossible to be as happy on the sidelines as he would have been if he was in the heat of battle.
All the qualities that have earned Ronaldo a place in the ‘greatest ever’ discussion can’t suddenly be cast aside.
If he’d known he’d have ended up a sub he probably wouldn’t have gone to the World Cup.
Yes, he should make sure he’s not a disruptive presence in the camp, but don’t expect him to be the life and soul of the party.
And after the tournament is over, retirement from international football is on the cards.
I wrote in the column about my November Christmas dinner with the ‘A League of their Own’ team.
Well, now I’ve had my Hogmanay early as well!
I was down in London for the filming of the ITV New Year’s Eve party.
I can’t give away too much again but it was a great night, hosted by Alesha Dixon and Jason Manford.
Then it was back north for the Scottish Sports Awards on Thursday.
Eve Muirhead won't forget her 2022 in a hurry. Gold 🥇 medals at the Olympics and the 🥌 Curling World Championships meant Muirhead achieved "everything she wanted to achieve in sport." #ScottishSportsAwards22 pic.twitter.com/xXiIseeYW2
— Team Scotland (@Team_Scotland) December 7, 2022
I was singing for my supper by getting the pipes out for that one but picking up the Team of the Year award was a nice bonus!
It has been a great year for Scottish sport and it’s special that we played such a big part in it.
St Johnstone fans will be wondering what the future holds now that the chairman, Steve Brown, has decided to resign.
I got such a warm welcome in the boardroom for the Rangers game recently and it’s a football club that is a model for others to follow.
Change can be a bit scary in sport, especially when things have been going well for so long.
But one thing you can guarantee about St Johnstone is that the people in charge have got the club at heart and will make the right decisions for its future.
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