Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has “officially entered” the same phase as when Michael Jordan played for the Washington Wizards amid his current struggles, according to Jimmy Conrad.
Ronaldo is currently a free agent after his sensational exit from Manchester United, with the Portuguese forward criticising the Old Trafford outfit in a scathing interview.
The 37-year-old United legend has also lost his place in the starting XI for Portugal’s World Cup knockout run in Qatar.
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Portugal head coach Fernando Santos controversially dropped Ronaldo for his side’s 6-1 demolition of Switzerland in the last 16, with Goncalo Ramos scoring a hat-trick.
Ramos retained his place in the starting XI for Portugal’s quarter-final clash against Morocco on Saturday, with Ronaldo once again relegated to a spot on the bench.
Conrad, who played for the USA national team from 2005 to 2010, ruffled some feathers on Twitter after a tweet comparing Ronaldo to Jordan’s Washington Wizards run.
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The 45-year-old former Kansas City Wizards defender claimed that it would “never be the same” for Ronaldo as he enters the tail end of his illustrious playing career.
“Cristiano Ronaldo has officially entered his ‘Michael Jordan playing for the Washington Wizards’ era,” Conrad tweeted.
“It’ll never be the same as it was.”
Jordan is widely regarded as one of the best basketball players of all time and won six NBA championships during his prolific playing career with the Chicago Bulls.
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The 59-year-old basketball legend retired for the second time in 1999, but MJ made a stunning U-turn in 2001 by signing for the Washington Wizards.
However, Jordan’s two seasons in Washington were largely forgettable by his standards and nowhere near the same calibre as his stunning run with the Bulls.
Some fans were quick to agree with Conrad’s comparison between current Ronaldo and Washington Wizards Jordan.
“This is probably the best way to sum it up. Just enjoy the show, man,” one fan said.
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Another Twitter user commented: “Truer [words] never been spoken.”
While someone else tweeted: “Harsh on Al-Nassr comparing them to the Wizards.”
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A fourth added: “Been there for a while now.”
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However, not everyone agreed with Conrad’s scathing assessment of Ronaldo, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s legion of fans staunchly defending him.
One fan posted: “Bro, the guy is getting old. He’s only human. What the f**k do you expect?”
And a second wrote: “Everyone was saying the same thing about [Lionel] Messi when he wasn’t performing at PSG. Didn’t Ronaldo lead [Man United] in goals? Neither of these two are finished. Their roles are changing.”
While a third simply added: “Keep hating, bro.”
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Jordan, Football, Basketball, Portugal, Football World Cup
Adnan Riaz