‘Rory McIlroy would never’ – Cristiano Ronaldo slammed by Ireland legend for lack of humility

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Tony Cascarino feels there is something amiss when it comes to Cristiano Ronaldo, even if he is ‘extraordinary’.Ronaldo made headlines for all the wrong reasons on Thursday when he was sent off for the first time in his international career during Portugal’s 2-0 defeat to Ireland.Ronaldo threw his toys out of the pram on Thursday nightAs the superstar made his way off the field to the cheers of Irish fans, he sarcastically clapped the Dublin crowd and gave two thumbs up.Ronaldo also had words for Ireland manager Heimer Hallgrimsson, who he felt was ‘putting pressure on the referee’.Despite the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s standing in the game, Cascarino, who represented Ireland 88 times, felt Ronaldo’s behaviour on Thursday was not befitting of his legendary status.Cascarino rips Ronaldo over ‘unlikable’ behaviour“There’s something about Ronaldo that is unlikable, as in everything always seems to revolve around him,” Cascarino said on talkSPORT’s Weekend Breakfast.“I don’t know him, I know players who played with him. If you look at him from what he’s done in football, it’s extraordinary. He’s an amazing physical specimen, he’s absolutely ultra-professional in the way he goes about his business. “But there’s a side to him that doesn’t feel that humble at times. Look, he’s achieved the all-time goalscoring record with Portugal, he’s achieved the all-time cap record, he’s chasing Pele’s records. “These are all individual accolades and absolutely fair play to him because that’s driving him to be the best he can be, so we have to applaud him for that. “But there’s a side to him that doesn’t feel like he’s a team player sometimes. And yet, you could argue he is a team player because he gets them loads of goals and the team benefit from all of his achievements. “I know Portugal won the Euros, but if you look at Portugal in World Cup terms under Ronaldo, they’ve not done particularly well. His goalscoring is nowhere near the level of what he does in qualifying or the games prior to that in other competitions. “It’s a hard one because I’ve always admired more than most, people who are really great but humble. People like Jack Nicklaus, Rory McIlroy, I’ve enjoyed those players in golf, [Roger] Federer in tennis. Bobby Charlton was an absolute legend off the field and on it for England as a footballer, Bobby Moore, these types of characters, they would never have acted like Ronaldo.”Cascarino believes Ronaldo could enhance his popularity if he showed more humilitytalkSPORTHow Ronaldo’s pre-match plea came back to biteRonaldo’s on-field meltdown and subsequent acts towards the crowd were all the more puzzling given he expressed his admiration for Irish supporters during the pre-match press conference.Speaking to the media, Ronaldo insisted it was a ‘pleasure’ to play in Dublin and hoped the fans wouldn’t ‘boo me too much’, as he insisted he was ‘gonna try to be a good boy’.Former Premier League winger Stephen Hunt, who won 39 caps for Ireland, was caught off-guard by Ronaldo’s pre-match comments but added the Portuguese icon certainly got the attention he wanted from the Irish fans.‘Ain’t the Ronaldo of old’“His interview the day before the game was really strange, in my opinion, ‘don’t boo me tomorrow,'” Hunt said on Weekend Breakfast.“Nobody likes to be the bad boy, he likes the centre of attention, but it was almost like he was looking for the attention and the love of the Irish fans. Well, he certainly got that. “As he was leaving the pitch, honestly it was like a pantomime. The Irish fans were loving it and cheered him off. Listen, they were respectful of him during the game.Ronaldo had an evening to forget in Dublin last ThursdayGetty“He ain’t the Ronaldo of old, for sure. He didn’t really move too well in the game, watching him and how he was playing.”Ronaldo’s red card means he will miss Portugal’s final World Cup qualifier against Armenia on Sunday – and could yet be banned for the start of the World Cup if they qualify automatically.Roberto Martinez’s side go into the fixture on top of their group with 10 points, as Hungary and Ireland sit second and third with eight and seven points respectively.Portugal’s clash against Armenia, who have won just once from five qualifying fixtures, kicks off at 2pm.