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Cristiano Ronaldo's sister Katia Aveiro has ripped into Portuguese supporters for turning their back on the Manchester United superstar.
Having won five Ballon d'Or awards among several other trophies, Cristiano Ronaldo has established himself as one of the greatest players of all time. However, his career has been in turmoil recently, both at the club and national level.
The forward linked up with Portugal for the international break after struggling to make an impact at Manchester United. He went on to help Selecao beat the Czech Republic 4-0 in the UEFA Nations League, providing an assist for Diogo Jota's goal.
However, Ronaldo became the subject of criticism after Portugal lost 1-0 to Spain on Tuesday (September 27). Many fans took to Twitter to lambaste the Red Devils superstar for his underwhelming performance.
The criticism towards Ronaldo has left his sister Katia Aveiro infuriated, prompting her to launch a scathing attack on the player's critics. She labeled Portugal and its fans ungrateful and soulless. She wrote on Instagram [via Portuguese daily Jornal de Noticias]:
"It is necessary to give a hand to those who have always given theirs to Portugal. But the Portuguese are sick, petty, soulless, stupid, and forever ungrateful. This guy who's sitting, he's on his knees... There's no one to give him a hand, this is cruel. And it was already so much, but so much that he gave and gives."
Katia went on to back her brother by hailing him as the best player in the world. She wrote:
"The one sitting is called Cristiano Ronaldo and he's just the best player in the world."
Katia has often hit out at Ronaldo's critics on social media and has once again come to her brother's defense. She will be keen to see the forward prove his doubters wrong in the next few weeks.
Cristiano Ronaldo has struggled to impress at Manchester United this season
Cristiano Ronaldo's situation at Manchester United has been no different this season. He has found his playing time limited under Erik ten Hag after failing to secure a move away from the club in the summer.
The former Real Madrid superstar has played eight matches across all competitions for the Red Devils this campaign. However, five of those appearances have come as a substitute.
Ronaldo has thus struggled to find the back of the net for Manchester United as well. He has scored just once for them, with the goal coming from the penalty spot in their 2-0 win against Sheriff in the UEFA Europa League. He is no longer ths starting forward at the club in the Premier League.
