Scrutiny can be quite toxic sometimes. Especially if you’re an athlete with fame. Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most tracked athletes in the world, yet he is not excused from heavy scrutiny. While his mesmerizing freekick against Al Feiha on Tuesday has again asserted his grip on the game, the year has already given him many bitter memories. Hence, recollecting the painful penalty miss against Slovenia at Euro 2024, the superstar has now opened up about his breakdown giving a deep insight into why exactly it happened, squashing public opinions.

Despite so much criticism, Ronaldo will not bog down and can never behave like something that he’s not. Speaking to former teammate Rio Ferdinand, “When you have passion for what you’re doing, you cannot be worried about how you feeling,” the Portuguese captain expressed, suggesting a deeper reason for it.

Accepting that he missed it, he then stated, “When I cry, it’s not because I felt that if I don’t score that penalty, and if Portugal going to be eliminated, they’re going, the world will collapse on me.” He then said, “The people who come to the stadium, your kids, your mom, your girlfriend, everyone. I felt sad because of that,” citing his standards and the expectations of the dear ones made him cry.

The 5-time Ballon d’Or had the chance to seal the victory for Portugal in extra time of the round of 16 but missed the spot kick. Portugal still won the game during shootouts but CR7 received heavy criticism from both the experts and the viewers. The Internet was once a place he would have liked to avoid at that point. Jabs were being taken for revealing his emotions.

While some claimed it to be unnecessary, a few pundits called it untimely as the match was not over yet. People even stated that he was being selfish and was thinking about himself. Hence, Ronaldo has now come out to slam the people who have many opinions about him.

‘You’re lying to yourself’: Cristiano Ronaldo’s verdict on his haters

Known to have a winning mentality in the eyes of many worldwide, Cristiano Ronaldo may have reached a point where he has no worries about other’s opinions about him. The most followed person on Instagram never shied away from speaking his heart and stated that he would not change it for anyone. “For me, if you’re hiding, you’re lying to yourself. You have to be yourself, Do you think I am going to change now? Nearly 40 years, old, you think I am going to change now? Of course not. You like me or don’t like me, it’s not a problem in life,” said Ronaldo declaring his indifference to such offenses.

It wasn’t just for the miss that the soccer world called out the Al Nassr captain. A few felt that he was at the last stages of his career and was better to give up the spot to younger players. In addition, Cristiano was also claimed to be selfish for taking all the kicks mainly freekicks when people like Bruno Fernandez were there. The tournament ended in a goalless exit for the highest goalscorer in the world, but the 39-year-old is back to work already. And despite the number of claims about him, he appears to be focused on the future and we could see him once again in the 2026 World Cup.