Ange Postecoglou Defends Cristiano Ronaldo After Al-Nassr's 4-0 Loss
Ange Postecoglou sprang to the defence of Cristiano Ronaldo in a spiky post-match exchange after Al-Nassr’s AFC Champions League Elite campaign opened with a brutal reality check.
A 4-0 hammering by Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates dragged the Saudi Pro League champions back down to earth after their bright start to the season, and all eyes quickly turned to their captain.
Ronaldo, with three goals in six games so far this term, barely laid a glove on the contest and came under heavy fire in the press conference that followed. One Saudi reporter, cited by English newspaper the Daily Mail, went straight for the jugular, questioning whether the 39-year-old’s continued presence in the starting XI was now holding Al-Nassr back. The suggestion was blunt: Ronaldo “does not benefit the team”.
“Cristiano has already scored three goals. His preparation period was limited,” he snapped back. “It is not about the players. The players are giving their all and they are top-class players with wonderful character.”
The Australian made it clear where he felt the blame should land.
“The responsibility falls on me, but you should not say that about someone who is still a role model for everyone,” he continued, drawing a firm line around his captain.
The criticism kept coming from the reporter, who doubled down and claimed Ronaldo had not done “anything” in the game. That was the trigger.
“He did not do anything? You are watching a different match to me,” Postecoglou shot back.
He then widened the lens, turning the question into a matter of respect for a player whose career has been built on relentlessness.
“You have to be careful when you say things like this about people who have built their career on making every sacrifice to keep playing,” he warned. “You can criticise me, no problem.”
On a night when the scoreline offered no hiding place, Postecoglou chose to stand in front of the bullets for his captain. How long that shield holds under the pressure of results like this will shape the next chapter of Al-Nassr’s season.
