'With his ego trips, Cristiano Ronaldo has damaged the team and himself' - Lothar Matthaus

Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo has failed to make an impact for his national side in the just-concluded FIFA World Cup in Qatar. It suffered a quarterfinal exit to eventual fourth-placed side Morocco 1-0, marking an immature end to Ronaldo's WC career. He could have been more impressive in scoring, netting just a goal via penalty, which was historic indeed, becoming the first to score in five different WCs. However, his failure to garner the ultimate WC success remains unfulfilled, as former Germany international Lothar Matthaus slammed the Portuguese for being egoistic, which has hurt him and his side.

Talking to Bild, Matthaus stated, "With his ego trips, Ronaldo has damaged the team and himself. Undoubtedly, he was a great player and a lethal finisher. But now, he has damaged his legacy. I find it hard to think that he can find a place in a team. I feel sorry for Ronaldo."

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"Ronaldo is, of course, a big failure of the World Cup, the opposite of Messi. [Messi is] the absolute winner. He deserves it because he has given me and all football fans great joy with his qualities and the way he played over 17-18 years. For me, Messi is the player of the millennium," concluded Matthaus.

Ronaldo stirred a controversy after giving an explosive interview to Piers Morgan, criticising his now-former club Manchester United and its head coach Erik ten Hag. As his contract was mutually terminated, he failed to make an impact during the WC, leading to his axe by Portuguese manager Fernando Santos from the starting XI.