Portuguese football legend Paulo Futre has hit the headlines for the interview he gave discussing Cristiano Ronaldo‘s relationship with Erik ten Hag.
Speaking to SerieANews, Futre discussed the elimination of his beloved Atletico Madrid from Europe, the Joao Felix-Diego Simeone relationship and Ronaldo‘s substitutions at Manchester United.
Futre was one of the best players in European football in the 1980s and 90s, and was second to Dutch great Ruud Gullit for the 1987 Ballon d’Or. This is how the Portuguese legend remembers him.
“I think Gullit is a football legend. But I think that year [1987] I had won the European Cup and I had been the best in the final against Bayern Munich. And Gullit only won the title in his country,” Futre said.
“Then he went to Milan and I went to Atletico Madrid. I was the best player, even against Real Madrid in the 0-4 and the 1-2 in Barcelona. The numbers speak for themselves. Gullit is great, he’s a legend. But maybe at the time he deserved more.”
Enormously grateful to Atletico Madrid
At Atletico he became a legend and to this day he cherishes the love and affection that their fans have always given him.
“Everyone tells me if I had gone to Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, maybe I would have won not only the Ballon d’Or, but more.
“But I wouldn’t have had the love and affection that the Atletico fans have always given me. Here I am someone important and they showed me that when I came to watch Atletico-Porto.
Heart divided between Porto and Atletico
Regarding Atletico‘s elimination from Europe, he said he had a bittersweet taste after the game: “It was a disaster. I came to watch the game on Wednesday and I was sad after the Atletico game, but then I was happy because Porto were in the next round. It’s a mess for me, it’s not easy.”
Everyone knows that Joao Felix is not a regular for Simeone, even though he was a starter in the Champions League match.
On this player-coach relationship, Futre said: “I thought it was a fight like between a father and a son.
“It wasn’t the first time Joao was on the bench, but I think the problem is bigger now. Let’s see what happens in January because this time it’s different. I don’t want to talk too much because I love them both”.
Ten Hag’s mismanagement of Cristiano Ronaldo
One player Futre knows very well is his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo, who is now going through a bad patch in his career because he is being “humiliated by Ten Hag“, according to Futre.
“Ten Hag can’t do what he did,” he said. “I have respect for him, but Cristiano was a five-time Ballon d’Or winner. You can’t tell him to come in with two minutes left. It’s a humiliation.
“If Ronaldo is called up, he should play 20 minutes, not two. And if he’s not well, it’s better not to call him up. So he’s being humiliated and he was right to leave the bench.
“You saw what [Ten Hag] said after the game with City? He didn’t put him on the pitch out of respect, but two weeks later he wanted him to play two minutes.
“He can’t do that. Cristiano is Portuguese and a friend, but I would say the same if it was with Messi.”
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