Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen silences Cristiano Ronaldo's trolls

Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen has jumped into Portugal football great Cristiano Ronaldo’s defence after the latter is being trolled by critics for his inability to lift the FIFA World Cup trophy in the twilight of his career.

The level of criticism has gone up ever since Ronaldo’s long-time professional rival Lionel Messi finally laid his hands on the prized trophy as Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar on Sunday, December 18.

Kevin Pietersen comes forward to support Cristiano Ronaldo

Taking to his official Twitter handle, Kevin Pietersen wrote, "Any parent will resonate with this - ‘you’re only as happy as your unhappiest child.’ @Cristiano lost one of his children a few months ago & so I strongly feel, that the daily bashing of someone who we all know is completely broken, is sick, vile & absolutely disgusting! STOP!"

Any parent will resonate with this - ‘you’re only as happy as your unhappiest child.’ @Cristiano lost one of his children a few months ago & so I strongly feel, that the daily bashing of someone who we all know is completely broken, is sick, vile & absolutely disgusting!
STOP!

— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) December 21, 2022

Cristiano Ronaldo had a forgettable World Cup campaign both individually and collectively. He was not included in Portugal’s starting XI in their Round of 16 clash against Switzerland and in the quarterfinal against Morocco. Their tournament ended in the last eight with a 0-1 loss to Morocco in regulation time.

‘CR7’ as he is fondly called was then seen crying bitterly after Portugal’s ouster from the quadrennial event and the pictures of the same went viral on social media in no time. He could only score a solitary goal in five matches.

The recently concluded FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar was regarded as Cristiano Ronaldo’s swansong and at 37 years of age, it is highly unlikely that he would be donning the Portugal jersey again during the next edition of the tournament in 2026.

Prior to the World Cup, Manchester United had also terminated Cristiano’s contract after his controversial interview with British journalist Piers Morgan where he had opened up on his differences with the team manager Erik ten Hag.

During the ongoing Premier League season, the 37-year-old had refused to feature as a substitute during the Red Devils’ clash against Tottenham Hotspur which highlighted that he was not on good terms with the team management.