Cristiano Ronaldo has received public backing from former teammate Mesut Ozil, who claims there is 'constant negativity' around the Portugal international.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has received criticism from supporters and pundits following his acrimonious departure from Manchester United.
He left the club after giving an explosive interview to Piers Morgan, in which he slammed manager Erik ten Hag for showing disrespect.
It came on the back of a poor domestic campaign, with Ronaldo scoring three goals in all competitions for the Red Devils.
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Ronaldo also hasn't had the best World Cup. He scored in Portugal's opening Group H game against Ghana but drew a blank in the following two.
That saw Fernando Santos drop him for Tuesday's 6-1 win over Switzerland in the round of 16. His replacement, Goncalo Ramos, scored a hat-trick to announce himself on the world stage.
It's the trickiest period of the 37-year-old's illustrious career so far. Ozil, who played with Ronaldo at Real Madrid for three years between 2010 and 2013, attempted to set the record straight on social media.
He posted to Twitter: "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... 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."
Ronaldo spoke fondly of Ozil during their time together, claiming the World Cup winner made him one of the world's best strikers.
They won La Liga together under Jose Mourinho in 2012 before Ozil joined Arsenal the following year.
Ozil continued: "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 currently plays for Turkish outfit Istanbul Basaksehir. He retired from international football in 2018.
Portugal face Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday. Victory would see them take on one of England or France, who square off later on Saturday evening.
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil, Portugal, Football World Cup
Daniel Marland