Former Portuguese international Fábio Coentrão has come out in defense of Cristiano Ronaldo, criticizing those who speak badly about his old teammate.
Coentrão, who retired in 2021 after finishing his career at Rio Ave, still follows football closely and keeps an eye on the players he once shared the pitch with. Speaking about the ongoing debates around Ronaldo, he didn’t hold back.
“I don’t really like speaking to the media, but I had to this time. I can’t stand hearing what some people say about Cristiano. There are ex-players who achieved nothing in football, yet they talk about him like they were legends. That’s not right,” Coentrão told Spanish outlet Relevo.
The former left-back called the criticism of Ronaldo’s career “a shame,” saying it’s unfair to treat someone of his status in such a negative way.
“Cristiano spent his whole career proving himself. Even if he’s not performing at his very best right now, it’s ugly to disrespect him like that. People create stories that he doesn’t get along with teammates, but that’s all false. I know him well—I spent years with him,” Coentrão added.
He dismissed any talk of problems with Bruno Fernandes or other Portuguese teammates, describing Ronaldo as “a fantastic guy.”
Looking at Ronaldo’s future, Coentrão believes Real Madrid would still be the perfect place for him to shine.
“Madrid has Benzema scoring 40 goals, but everyone knows Cristiano would score 60 if he was there. He’d get goals wherever he wants. Things didn’t work out at Manchester because he didn’t have peace of mind. A player needs calm to perform,” he concluded.