Sometimes, even the greatest football players can have fragile egos. No matter what they’ve achieved in their careers, many just don’t seem able to rise above certain criticism.

Cristiano Ronaldo appears to be one of those characters. After all, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has won many honours, such as Champions League, Premier League, La Liga and European Championship titles, and yet he often comes across as a rather frustrated figure.

Perhaps that is because, throughout his career, he has been compared to Lionel Messi. The prevailing consensus in the footballing community is that Ronaldo is a legendary player, but the Argentine is even better, perhaps the best of all time – as highlighted by his record eight Ballon d’Or triumphs.

Gary Lineker Prefers Messi Over Ronaldo

According to iconic England striker Gary Lineker – who played 12 games for the Three Lions at two World Cups (scoring 10 goals in total) and winning the Golden Boot at Mexico 1986 – Ronaldo is so insecure about his rivalry with Messi, that he no longer talks to the pundit due to some past comments made about the pair.

The ex-Match of the Day presenter made the admission during an appearance on the Louis Theroux Podcast, explaining how his one good relationship with Ronaldo has fallen to pieces ever since he dared to call Messi the better player.

He began: “I always feel bad because people have a go at me, saying ‘you don’t like Ronaldo. It’s not that I don’t like Ronaldo, I think he’s an absolutely incredible footballer, but there’s no argument about who is the better footballer. Anyone who understands the game will see that.”

He then praised the former Manchester United forward, noting, “But I’ve got so much admiration for Cristiano. He is so driven, so successful and scored so many goals.

“In many eras he would be the best player of his time. But the fact he is put in the same breath and lots of people make the comparison is a huge compliment to him and of what he has achieved.”

Because he hasn’t got the ability that Messi has. No one has. But it’s not an insult to Ronaldo to say that.”

He then explained how his past comments in favour of Messi cost him his relationship with Ronaldo, saying:

Ronaldo Slammed ‘Rat’ Lineker in 2024

It’s not the first time there have been issues between the Portuguese star and Lineker, either. Indeed, in Euro 2024, Ronaldo failed to score a goal at the tournament, but lashed out at the punditry from within the UK.

The Tottenham Hotspur icon described Ronaldo’s antics after missing a penalty against Slovenia as childish, while his co-host Alan Shearer labelled the reaction as ‘hysterical.’ It’s believed Ronaldo was referring to the pair when he said:

“What am I going to do? Am I going to cry and then finish my career because two rats criticised me? The world loves me! The fans love me! This is my motivation. Nobody is going to take my shine away because two guys from television that nobody knows have criticised me.”

There will no doubt be plenty of focus on Ronaldo this summer as he looks to finally win the World Cup with Portugal. It will certainly be interesting to see what Lineker makes of the 41-year-old’s performances.

Brazil fans and the media have issued a firm verdict on Casemiro after the Selecao’s opening 2026 World Cup match against Morocco on Saturday night.

The five-time world champions haven’t won the World Cup since 2002 but are among the favourites to lift football’s most iconic trophy on July 19.

However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side got off to an inauspicious start with a 1-1 draw against Morocco, semi-finalists at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Ismael Saibari gave Morocco the lead in the 21st minute with an excellent finish past Liverpool’s Alisson Becker. Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, one of the contenders for the Ballon d’Or award, equalised with a goal of similar quality 10 minutes later.

No further goals were scored as the two sides, currently placed sixth and seventh in the latest FIFA rankings, escaped with one point apiece.

Caean Couto via Reuters

Ancelotti made two changes at half-time, replacing right-back Ibanez with Danilo, and hooking Casemiro for Fabinho.

Casemiro, who has departed Manchester United despite an impressive final campaign with the Red Devils, has been heavily criticised for his unconvincing performance by Brazilian football fans and the media alike.

Goal handed the 34-year-old a 4/10 rating, commenting: “Had a real nightmare in midfield. Never kept up with the pace of the game, booked before half time, and hooked at the break.”

The reaction has been even more brutal on social media. One Brazilian fan account with 84,000 followers on X (Twitter) posted: “Casemiro: slow, immobile, not press resistant, can’t turn, can’t pass, no technical ability. It’s been a good 15 years but it’s time to go.”

One eye-opening clip shows Casemiro half-heartedly running back to his own half after losing possession:

Another tweet with a photo of Casemiro alongside the caption “This guy can’t be a starter for the Brazilian national team in a World Cup” has gone viral. And another Brazil supporter tweeted:

Meanwhile, BBC Sport football reporter Simon Stone tweeted: “Man Utd probably glad they didn’t give Casemiro one more year on this evidence.”

Many Brazil fans on social media are calling for former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho, 32, to start over Casemiro in the Selecao’s next Group C match against minnows Haiti on June 19.

Fabinho, no spring chicken himself, has been playing in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ittihad since 2023.

Switzerland and Qatar served up one of the most dramatic openers of the 2026 World Cup, with a 94th-minute header from Boualem Khoukhi snatching a point for the 2022 hosts in San Francisco.

But long before that late equaliser, Group B’s curtain-raiser had already generated its share of chaos, centred on a penalty incident in the 17th minute that left broadcasters, pundits and former officials demanding answers.

Remo Freuler latched onto a headed ball inside the penalty area and attempted to deftly lift it over the advancing Qatar goalkeeper, Mahmud Abunada. The challenge that followed was heavy enough to keep both players on the ground. Honduran referee Hector Said Martinez had made his call immediately: Penalty to Switzerland. Breel Embolo stepped up and converted without any fuss.

FIFA Slammed Over Switzerland vs Qatar Decision

Carlos Barria via Reuters

Replays appeared to show Freuler in an offside position as he received the ball, and VAR duly initiated a review. What followed frustrated everyone watching. No offside lines or semi-automated graphics were shown. The review concluded, the penalty stood, and viewers at home and inside the stadium were left entirely in the dark.

Watch the incident below:

Gary Neville didn’t hold back: “They’ve got the evidence of the automated decision — why are they not showing us?” he said, comparing FIFA’s approach to a “dictatorship.” Ian Wright was equally damning, calling the lack of transparency “scandalous.”

ITV commentator Lee Dixon, who had been convinced VAR would intervene, said: “There must be something wrong with my monitor.”

Former FIFA Referees Offer Contrasting Views

Darren Yamashita (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)

Former referee and PGMOL boss Keith Hackett went further than most. Responding on X to former Norway international Jan Aage Fjørtoft, who’d questioned why VAR was reviewing a penalty rather than the apparent offside. Hackett was blunt: “This goal should have been ruled out for offside. Technology fail.”

ITV’s referee analyst Christina Unkel offered a different perspective. She explained that under FIFA’s protocol, semi-automated offside graphics are only shown when a review results in an overturn, which is why the lines and the graphics never appeared. She also defended the technology itself, insisting it operates at a precision far beyond what the human eye could ever detect:

Qatar ultimately had the last laugh, with Khoukhi’s late header denying Switzerland all three points. But the questions raised around the penalty are unlikely to disappear quietly.