Rio Ferdinand certainly deserves a warm round of applause for his sense of loyalt to his brethren as the Manchester United legend has spoken out boldly to question the criticism and mockery former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo has faced since agreeing to join Al-Nassr after leaving Manchester United.
Rio Ferdinand opines that the criticism being directed at Cristiano Ronaldo for his move to the Saudi Arabian club reeks of hypocrisy, with the pundit drawing comparisons with occasions in the past when other Premier League greats had moved to developing football nations.
Ronaldo’s United contract was terminated by mutual consent following his interview with Piers Morgan. In the course of the interview, Ronaldo agreed with Morgan when the latter said that he believed Ronaldo wanted to play at the highest level and wasn’t motivated by money.
Ronaldo said: “Exactly, because I still believe that I can score many many goals and help the team. I believe I am still good enough to help my national team, even Manchester United.”
With this sudden turnaround – although in all fairness it would be wrong to ascribe fault to the Portuguese striker that no top flight Champions League-eligible European club are keen to sign him on – Ronaldo will reportedly earn more than £3million per week in Saudi Arabia although the move does effectively signal the end of his top-level career.
Ferdinand believes that Ronaldo moving to Saudi Arabia, rather than the United States, means he has faced more criticism than other Premier League greats whose careers have wound down in less-competitive environments.
Speaking on the Vibe with FIVE podcast, the ex-defender said: “It was great to see David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, it was great to see them go to America.
“What a way to finish their careers, getting great money, going to a league that’s not as competitive, they’ve deserved that, they’ve earned the right.
“That’s all I saw in the media. But because it’s Saudi Arabia, it’s a disgrace, it’s sad. Let a man go and live, let a man go and enjoy it. It’s a new adventure. He’s taking his family to experience a new culture.”
The former United defender added: “Every single country in the world has its issues, so America has got less issues than Saudi, have they? But it’s fine for all these players to go to America. Let’s let them go to the States and have a swan song year and just toss it off.
“I don’t like it. It stinks we’re not hearing this type of talk. It’s out of order. Everyone should be treated the same. Every other player that’s gone to a less competitive league to end their career has been told you’ve earned the right. No man on the planet would have earned the right more than this guy.”