"Who is that guy?" - When Cristiano Ronaldo hit out at former teammate for calling him selfish
Cristiano Ronaldo once hit out at former teammate Rafael van der Vaart for calling him selfish. The Dutchman briefly shared the pitch with the Portuguese ace during their time together at Real Madrid.
Van der Vaart arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2008 from Hamburger SV. A year later, Ronaldo joined the squad, completing a blockbuster move from Manchester United.
The Dutchman shared the pitch with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner for just one campaign, registering 21 appearances together. Speaking in an interview with talkSPORT last year, Van der Vaart admitted that Cristiano Ronaldo was ahead of his time.
However, the Dutchman also accused the Portuguese of being unbelievably selfish during their time together. The comment came to Ronaldo's attention, who didn't miss the chance to get back at his former teammate.
The Portuguese responded on a social media post containing Van der Vaart's quote, stating (as per GOAL):
"Who is that guy?"
Van der Vaart left Real Madrid in the summer of 2010, to move to Tottenham Hotspur. Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, spent nine seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu, and won 16 trophies with the LaLiga giants.
The Portuguese ace registered 451 goals from 438 games for Los Blancos to become the club's record goalscorer. He ultimately left Real Madrid in the summer of 2018 to move to Juventus.
What has Cristiano Ronaldo said about a possible return to Real Madrid?
Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he could return to Real Madrid once his playing days are over. Speaking to El Chiringuito earlier this year, the 40-year-old expressed a desire to do something in front of fans.
“One day maybe. I don’t rule it [a return] out. I left a legacy there, a nice mark there. Maybe at the end of my career, we can do something cool, with 80,000 people," said Ronaldo.
The Portuguese spent three seasons with Juventus before returning to Manchester United in the summer of 2021. However, he had a fallout with former manager Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford and left the Red Devils under unceremonious circumstances in December 2022.
Ronaldo went on to join Al-Nassr and has been with the Saudi Pro League side ever since. The Portuguese superstar has registered 93 goals from 105 games for the Riyadh-based club so far. However, his contract expires at the end of this month and he hasn't signed a new deal yet.
