The year 2022 was an exciting one for football fans across the globe, to say the least. As the World Cup approached, it seemed that more and more drama came to the surface.
One of the biggest shocks was when Cristiano Ronaldo started slurring his (now former) club, Manchester United, bringing the football community to a state of disbelief. Some started turning their backs on Ronaldo and bashing him on social media. Others were quick to judge the Red Devils for the way they treated this great player.
What is more, we were able to see a great interest in this situation among betting and gambling fans as well. Many online casinos that also offer sports betting next to slots and live dealer games had many people placing bets on the Portuguese team. Even some online casino enthusiasts were interested in this situation. So, although many of them wanted to explore bonuses and promotions prepared here by the Wagering Advisors and claim different casino offers, a large percentage was keen on finding out what was happening in the betting section of the site and what the odds were on Cristiano Ronaldo.
But this doesn’t come as a great surprise since a large majority of the online casino community are also huge Ronaldo fans. The football legend has been known as an avid poker player and therefore has become an inspiration to gambling enthusiasts as well. So, visitors of online casinos were also keeping track of Ronaldo’s situation while winning rewards on their favourite platforms.
Before we move on to analyse João Félix and his place in the Portuguese national team, let’s first see why Ronaldo left Manchester and how the young player got caught up in the aftermath.
Ronaldo ends things with Manchester United
After 346 appearances for the team and more than 140 goals scored, Manchester United ended things with Cristiano Ronaldo. The contract was terminated after a shocking interview with Piers Morgan and Cristiano Ronaldo was released in November 2022. In this interview, the athlete was extremely critical of the Premier League club, but especially of his manager Erik ten Hag. He accused his former teammates of criticizing him to boost their own popularity. The 37-year-old striker also said that Manchester United stopped progressing after sir Alex Ferguson left the club. On the other hand, it’s known that he was kept on the bench for several important games, after which he stormed from the pitch before the final whistle had blown.
Strange events at World Cup 2022
At the Qatar World Cup Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo bid their adieu at the quarter-final stage against surprise package Morocco. It did not go unnoticed that in the round of 16, as well as the quarter-final, the legendary forward was benched.
Although he was the Portugal captain, coach Fernando Santos was unhappy at CR7’s reaction when being substituted in the group game against South Korea and dropped his star player from the starting line-up for the subsequent games in the tournament.
Chelsea target Félix, Cristiano moves on to Al-Nassr
After the drama that played out with the Red Devils and the Portuguese national team, Cristiano moved on to sign a contract with Al-Nassr, becoming the highest-paid football player of all time. The Saudi Arabian football club reportedly paid more than 200 million euros for this transfer.
Ronaldo’s former club was strongly linked with a move for his Portuguese teammate João Felix, but in the end it was Premier League rivals Chelsea who secured the services of the richly talented 23-year-old forward, on loan until the end of the 2022/23 season.
Felix says the Portuguese national team is strong with or without Ronaldo
In an interview, Félix claimed that Portugal’s national team is a match for any opponent, with or without Ronaldo. Even though he meant no harm by saying so, he did convey a message that no one is irreplaceable. In the recent past Ronaldo appeared untouchable as a Portugal starter, but that seems to no long be the case.
The young forward went on to say that he did not feel obligated to pass the ball to Ronaldo when they were on the field and that everyone has a role to play in their own way.
Conclusion
It is too early to say if João Félix can replace the great Cristiano Ronaldo as the main man in the Portuguese national team.
It remains to be seen how he will fair in the English Premier League and who will sign a contract with the young forward in six months from now if he does move on from his parent club Atletico Madrid.
Moreover, the relationship built between new Portugal coach Roberto Martínez and Cristiano Ronaldo will be key to whether the legendary striker remains a major component of the team of if other players take over as the main weapons of the Seleção.