John Terry slammed the BBC for its ‘disgraceful’ caption poking fun at Cristiano Ronaldo for missing his penalty.
Ronaldo missed a spot kick in extra-time that would have sent Portugal through to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.
Instead they went to penalties with Slovenia, the lowest ranked side left in the competition.
Portgual goalkeeper Diogo Costa then saved all three of Slovenia’s opening spot-kicks, with Ronaldo making amending by converting his.
Bernardo Silva slotted in the winning penalty to secure a quarter-final against France in Hamburg on Friday.
Terry posted a image of a BBC caption on his Instagram that read ‘Misstiano Penaldo’.
He wrote alongside it: “BBC this is a disgrace.”
Terry and Ronaldo may have been old adversaries from their days at Chelsea and Manchester United, and also at international level.
But the former England centre-back knows all too well at just how cruel missing a penalty can feel.
In the 2008 Champions League final against Manchester United, he missed his spot kick in the shootout when he slipped just before taking it.
Chelsea went on to lose and it is a moment that still haunts Terry.
Gabby’s not happy
The subject also came up on the talkSPORT Breakfast show with Jeff Stelling and Gabby Agbonlahor suitably unimpressed.
Stelling said: “You probably saw the pictures of the BBC caption ‘Misstiano Penaldo’. That must be a 12-year-old caption writer who has done that.”
Agbonlahor said: “Who is doing that? It’s disrespectful.”
Stelling added: “It’s absolutely outrageous and disrespectful to a man that has achieved so much in the game.
“He’s been a wonderful player and still is a wonderful player in some people’s eyes.”
Agbonlahor added: “Even if it was a Slovenia player, why are you putting a caption like that?”
Ronaldo was also backed up by Conor McGregor, the UFC superstar, who threw his weight behind the footballer by telling his millions of followers on social media that it was ‘true passion’ shown for his country.
Piers Morgan on Ronaldo
The talkTV host thinks it will be an England vs Portugal final at Euro 2024 as he told talkSPORT…
“[The BBC] would never do that to iconic players, right? Why single out Ronaldo?
“I saw a great piece by Martin Samuel in the Times this week in which he talked about Jude Bellingham and Ronaldo – how you’ve got to let these guys be what they are. They are trophy players. They are cock of the walk players.
“But look at the way the Portugal players rallied around Ronaldo when he got oddly emotional after missing the penalty. They knew what it meant to him. They knew he’s carried that team now for you know two decades right. He knows he’s won Portugal a trophy almost on his own right.
“They know that and they will walk over hot coals for him. So people that mock and ridicule Ronaldo need to remember: the guy is, in my estimation, the greatest to ever play the game certainly the greatest goal scorer to ever play the game.
“The passion and desire… if every one of the England players showed even half of the passion that Ronaldo showed the other day from when he missed that penalty to when he then stood up and took the first one when he went to actual penalties, if we showed that passion, that burning desire to win, I’m telling you England will win this tournament.
“But at the moment I see more passion in Ronaldo than I see in the entire England team put together and yet he’s the one who’s been mocked. I say let’s see more of that from our players.
“Let’s see players literally move to tears because they want to win for their country.”
Ronaldo himself admitted he was at ‘rock bottom’ when he missed that extra-time penalty against Slovenia.
“Even the strongest people have their [bad] days. I was at rock bottom when the team needed me the most,” said Ronaldo.
“Sadness at the start is joy at the end. That’s what football is. Moments, inexplicable moments. I feel sad and happy at the same time.
“But the important thing is to enjoy it. The team did an extraordinary job. We fought right to the end and I think we deserved it because we had more authority.”
However, during the game Ronaldo had his heart rate tracked and shows he maintained his composure when he needed to. Data shows he entered a flow state – a mental state in which a person is completely focused on a single task or activity – by lowering his heart rate from 170 bpm to less than 110 bpm throughout the penalty shootout.
Portugal still alive in the competition and face France in a glamour quarter-final, which is live on talkSPORT.
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