- After Portugal’s 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo at the start of the World Cup, João Neves’ girlfriend Madalena Aragao (20) was massively insulted by Ronaldo fans online.
- An alleged comment about Ronaldo became a big topic.
- The posting creates potential for conflict within the team, as Ronaldo’s teammates have always publicly defended him.
World Cup favorite Portugal Only managed a 1-1 draw in the first game against Congo. The only goalscorer for the Portuguese was Champions League winner João Neves (21). When the 21-year-old went for the obligatory interview after the end of the game, he was not only asked about the game, but also about Cristiano Ronaldo (40).
“We know what Cristiano has done for our team and for the football world,” said Neves and added: “I feel from him and from our side that he is one of us. He is here to help us. He’s no different from anyone else on the team.”
Ronaldo fans attack Neves and his girlfriend
For many Ronaldo fans, that was too much of a good thing. The sentences caused a real frenzy in them. The most recent Instagram posts by Neves and his girlfriend Madalena Aragao quickly received thousands of hate comments. “Tell your dwarf friend to respect Ronaldo,” writes one user under a photo of the couple together. Another commented: “Your boyfriend is an idiot. Tell him to pass the ball to my GOAT (greatest of all time).”
After that, things got explosive: According to media reports, Aragao is said to have responded to the comment: “Tell your goat to retire. He’s very stubborn!” But as the Spanish sports bible “Marca” then reported, this comment was said to be a fake.
Even without the alleged reaction from Neve’s girlfriend, the hate comments were extreme. Neves also read: “You should have died, not Diogo Jota.” While Neves left the comment column open, his girlfriend deactivated the comment function on her profile after hundreds of thousands of messages.
World Cup 2026: Ronaldo’s role divides the football world
The events are emblematic of a debate that has accompanied Cristiano Ronaldo for months. In the World Cup game against Congo, Ronaldo remained inconspicuous, as in many previous games.
Since the start of the World Cup, there has been a lot of discussion in the media and on social networks about whether the team’s superstar is not too old for high demands and whether Portugal coach Roberto Martinez should replace him with another striker.
