Cristiano Ronaldo has been subjected to plenty of unwelcome attention after angrily slapping a phone out of a young fan’s hand after Manchester United’s defeat at Everton on Saturday.
Former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique has slammed Cristiano Ronaldo for the incident and declared his dislike for the latter after Saturday’s incident involving the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner and Manchester United star and a young Everton supporter.
14-year-old Jake Harding’s mother has accused Ronaldo of assaulting her son while the Merseyside Police have released a statement after the 37-year-old appeared to slap the boy’s phone to the ground as the star walked down the tunnel. The FA is also looking into the incident, while the United player himself has quickly issued a statement proferring his apology on Instagram and offering to take the affected fan to a game to make up for it.
Enrique has his own views on the Portuguese star he had encountered on the pitch more than once during his time spent in the Premier League.
“I always said it. Don’t like him. He believes [he] is god and can do whatever he wants,” the Spaniard wrote in an Instagram story over the top of a video of the Ronaldo incident.
The former defender stressed that his attitude towards Ronaldo was based on personality rather than ability, though. “That doesn’t take [anything away] that [he has] been one of the best players in the history of football but as a person [I] don’t like him,” he added.
While Jose Enrique never faced Ronaldo’s United in a Liverpool shirt, he did so twice during his spell at Newcastle. The Red Devils were victorious on both occasions, winning 6-0 at Old Trafford in 2008 – with Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick – and 2-1 at St James’ Park the following year.
“It’s never easy to deal with emotions in difficult moments such as the one we are facing,” Ronaldo explained for his part on Instagram after United’s humbling defeat to Everton.
“Nevertheless, we always have to be respectful, patient and set the example for all the youngsters who love the beautiful game.
“I would like to apologize for my outburst and, if possible, I would like to invite this supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford as a sign of fair-play and sportsmanship,” he added.
Sarah Kelly, the mother of the boy whose phone Ronaldo had so callously slapped out of his hand, was still picturing vividly the joy and awe on her son’s face after the Manchester United players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, high-fived a line of young Everton fans as they emerged for their warm-up.
“His face lit up – but it’s bitter-sweet now,” she says, still trying to come to grips with the shocking incident post-match.
United had just lost 1-0 and Ronaldo had rolled down his sock with blood trickling down his left shin and was walking slowly towards the away dressing room.
Leaning over the railings eagerly were some of the same children trying to capture phone video footage of one of the world’s most celebrated footballers.
“There were loads of other people waving their phones around,” said Kelly.
“Jacob was in a world of his own. As he come off, he was, ‘Mum, Ronaldo’s hurt, I’m videoing’. I was, ‘OK’. I didn’t think anything of it. He wasn’t even looking at Ronaldo.
“He was looking at what he’d done to his leg and didn’t realise the situation until the phone was on the floor. You can see the shock on Jacob’s face. He looks at me like, ‘Oh my God – that just happened’.
“That was the reaction. It is pretty forceful. He knew children were there. He was shaking their hands before the match – on the way back it was a completely different story because they had lost. Well, that’s the game isn’t it? You can’t win everything.
“If someone did that to you in the street, they would be arrested and questioned. He’s a father himself and I’m sure if he was a normal person, who took his son to a game on a Saturday afternoon and that happened, he would be quite upset and shocked as well.”
The mother had even hoped that Ronaldo would have sought them out before they left Goodison Park but nothing more was heard until an impersonal apology was posted later that evening on Instagram.
“He has released what he has released,” she says. “I was quite shocked United hadn’t put a statement out asking us to get in touch, just something a bit heartfelt, rather than Ronaldo saying the supporter can come to me.
“That comes across really, really rude to me. Why would we, as Everton fans, go to United? He put, ‘this supporter’. It doesn’t state if he was an Everton supporter or a United supporter. It’s just a very, very weak apology in my opinion.
“It was our first time [together at football]. Jacob is obsessed with Everton and football. It’s his passion. It just took a complete shine off the game, the win, the experience. I’m not even thinking of the day I had with him, the nice time before the incident. I’m just thinking of the last five seconds. It has completely spoilt it. It’s shocking.”
Kelly believes her son’s phone is beyond repair. A photograph also hints at some bruising on Jacob’s hand but her main concern relates to the emotional consequences of the incident.
“With him [her son] having disabilities, it is harder for him to express and can take more days to understand what has happened,” she says.
“With his autism, he kind of finds it hard to process things. He’s processed it in his way – which is like, ‘I can’t believe Ronaldo has done that, I really liked him’.
“Even though he [her son] does not support United, Ronaldo is a star. He’s a big player who kids idolise. We’ve watched his football journey. He’s been such a good player. It was a shock. Both of us haven’t slept [since Saturday night].
“We were going to go to the park [on Sunday] and he was, ‘I don’t want to do that today, Mum’. I’m hoping that it has not put him off. I’m hoping that’s just the exhaustion of Saturday.
“I think he’s quite shaken underneath but not really expressing it. I’m sure he will do – he’ll process it in his own way.”
Kelly did not feel ready to again speak to the police yesterday and now wants a few days before discussing the situation further.
“I’m just trying to get my head around my son – he’s my priority at the minute – making sure it’s not left any upset on him,” she said.
“We’re talking about it and I’m asking him how he feels. I hope it gets resolved for Jacob. A split moment has caused this.”
And what of the offer to watch United?
“I did ask him: “Would you like to go? Ronaldo said we could go to United’. He said, ‘No, mum, I would never want to see him again’. That’s upsetting because Ronaldo was one of the reasons he wanted to go to the United game.”
Ronaldo had made his return at Goodison Park after having been forced out of United’s home draw with Leicester City a week earlier due to illness. Unfortunately, neither he nor his teammates were able to come up with the goods to find a way past Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, and Anthony Gordon’s first half decider left United with just five points from their last five Premier League games.
The undesirable result leaves Ralf Rangnick’s side straggling seventh in the Premier League, six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham after the London club won 4-0 at Aston Villa.
On the brighter side of things, defeats elsewhere for Arsenal, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers means Rangnick’s men while still dazed are still barely holding on in the race for Europe.