Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘haircut goal’ forced sportsbooks to correct their payouts and bettors were furious

“The hair of God” no-goal.

In his prolific, all-time career, Portugal talisman striker Cristiano Ronaldo has usually made it a point to eventually score for his home nation. In 193 international appearances for Portugal, Ronaldo has netted 118 goals — the most of any Men’s player ever. He’s usually as sure of a bet to not only find a way to get a goal but also pepper a goalie with several shots.

That was not the case during Portugal’s 2-0 win over Uruguay in Group H on Monday.

Not only did Ronaldo not get a shot on target during the matchup, he also just barely missed a golden opportunity to score (which would’ve poached a goal from his own teammate Bruno Fernandes).

Look closely, and yes, Ronaldo indeed did not make any contact with the ball. After being initially credited with the score, it was appropriately awarded to Fernandes.

Of course, Ronaldo’s miss/subsequent rescore didn’t end up hurting Portugal, given the eventual win. Plus, he still has the all-time international scoring mark.

It was, however, a disastrous result for bettors. Some sportsbooks naturally had to correct payouts after it was revealed Ronaldo didn’t actually score.

Others were a little more forgiving of the unfortunate circumstance:

In all fairness, could you blame anyone for expecting a guy who essentially scores at least one goal every two international games to score a goal in an international game? If not for a slight miss on precision, Ronaldo would’ve had another one here, and sportsbooks wouldn’t be issuing corrections on payouts to bettors.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s nightmare return to Manchester United is over

The nightmare for all parties is finally over

The latest turn in Cristiano Ronaldo’s bizarre second spell at Manchester United has arrived, and it’s a doozy.

Man United announced on Tuesday that Ronaldo “is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect.”

The decision to part ways comes after the 37-year-old was emerging as an increasing problem for the Red Devils. He doesn’t fit into Erik ten Hag’s system — or really any modern system, since he doesn’t high-press and is no longer fast enough to lead the line for a counter-attacking team — and has not handled the situation with grace.

Among other examples, Ronaldo left the stadium early after being substituted at halftime during a preseason friendly; openly admitted that he’s keeping a detailed journal of whether he thinks a given reporter is being truthful or not; had a proposed move publicly turned down by numerous big-name clubs; did an interview with Piers Morgan that seemed specifically designed to force Man United to kick him to the curb; and left the bench before full time to storm into the locker room during his team’s game against Tottenham.

With that in mind, Man United’s press release was understandably curt.

“The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wishes him and his family well for the future,” read a club statement announcing the news. “Everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team’s progress under Erik ten Hag and working together to deliver success on the pitch.”

And that was it. One of the all-time great players in the game burned his bridges so thoroughly that a tradition-laden club like Manchester United, known to pay lavish tribute to anyone that played there for a long spell, effectively hustled Ronaldo out the door while most eyes were on the World Cup.

It’s an ugly end for player and club, but then again his entire return to Man United has been a disaster. There was no other way this was going to end.

What’s next for Ronaldo?

Ronaldo made it clear over the summer that if he were to leave Man United, he required Champions League soccer.

The problem is that most of the clubs that can both offer that and and meet Ronaldo’s salary demands have ruled themselves out. It looks like the Portugal attacker is going to have to settle for either a move to a club that can keep him in the best competition in the world, or one that can shell out his wages without going bankrupt. He’s almost certainly not going to get both.

Inter Miami has been floated as a possible landing spot, and Ronaldo being a free agent would certainly grease the wheels on a move to MLS. Over the summer, there were also reports of Ronaldo turning down an offer worth roughly €275 million to play in Saudi Arabia, which is a level of interest that indicates a suitor that could circle back now that their target is without a club.

Wherever he ends up, the team that signs him is going to have to hope that Ronaldo’s ability to score a ton of goals (which, in fairness, is still extremely sharp) will overshadow the problem of fitting him into a new locker room, his disinterest in defensive work, and all the rest of the off-field baggage that seems to come with him.

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10 best players (Lionel Messi! Cristiano Ronaldo!) at the 2022 World Cup who have never won it all

A look at some of the greatest to ever play the game who have never tasted ultimate international glory.

As the soccer world rolls through Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, there’s inevitably going to be a lot of discussion about “legacy” and superstars who have never quite broken through with a glorious moment in this competition.

I’m talking, of course, about some of the top dynamos in men’s soccer history who have never won the World Cup. To be clear, the players on this list aren’t necessarily to blame for their countries never standing on top of the international soccer world. This is still a team sport where everyone has to play in unison. And the best team — not the best player (awarded the Golden Ball at every tournament) — wins far more often than not.

From perhaps the greatest player in the history of the world’s most popular game to a prolific, talented striker with genuinely no realistic hope of ever winning the World Cup — here’s a look at the 10 best active players who haven’t won the prestigious championship, along with their respective odds to win this year’s Golden Ball. Note: We’re highlighting players who have been around for a good while but have still never made it to the top of the summit.

(All odds courtesy of BetMGM)

Nike’s Footballverse World Cup ad is a tour de force of soccer science

Who is betrer between Kylian Mbappé and 2006 Ronaldinho? Nike attempt to find out

Nike’s official World Cup commercials are usually worth the wait, and this year’s version is no exception.

The ad, titled “Nike FC Presents the Footballverse,” attempts to answer the unanswerable: What would happen if soccer legends from different eras could face off against each other?

Naturally, Oingo Boingo’s 1985 hit “Weird Science” begins to play.

From there, the stars of past and present begin to appear, including a meeting between 1998 Ronaldo and 2002 Ronaldo, with the former giving the latter a hard time over his infamous triangular hairstyle.

Other stars to appear include Cristiano Ronaldo, Virgil van Dijk, Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne, Edgar Davids, Sam Kerr, Alex Morgan, Leah Williamson and Carli Lloyd.

The whole thing is a tour de force. Watch it below.

Watch Nike’s 2022 World Cup ad

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Cristiano Ronaldo went on Piers Morgan and self-immolated

Ronaldo claims to love Manchester United, but he’s got a funny way of showing it

There are only two possibilities regarding Cristiano Ronaldo’s interview with Piers Morgan, and neither of them are good: He either thinks it will make him look better, or he doesn’t care how bad he looks.

Ronaldo, currently struggling with any hint of an idea he’s no longer the player he was in 2010, decided to self-immolate on Morgan’s TalkTV show in an apparent attempt to force his way out of Manchester United.

The problem, among many with this particular interview, is that in order to force his way out, Ronaldo has to have somewhere to go. And who would want the kind of player who flames his coach, his club, and, yes, himself, in such spectacular fashion?

Tears with Piers

Ronaldo decided it would be beneficial to say of his current head coach Erik ten Hag: “I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me, If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never going have respect for you.”

Really, would anyone blame Ten Hag if he did see some of his respect for Ronaldo ebb away recently? This is a player who has now not once, but twice left the stadium in the middle of a game this season.

The most galling of Ronaldo’s statements though, was when he was asked if the club was trying to force him out.

“Yes. Not only the coach, but the other two or three guys around the club. I felt betrayed,” the 37-year-old said.

“People should hear the truth. Yes, I feel betrayed. Some people don’t want me here not only this year, but last year too.”

Of course, Ronaldo is the one who has transparently been trying to force his way out for months. The problem, as mentioned, is it’s hard to offload a disgruntled former superstar who still thinks he’s Ballon d’Or quality and makes £500,000 per week.

The timing of the Morgan interview was obviously premeditated. Ronaldo is leaving for the World Cup and, with several weeks before he returns to United, he must be hopeful that an exit can be engineered in the meantime.

But the timing looked even worse after events earlier in the day.

Alejandro Garnacho, nearly 20 years Ronaldo’s junior, scored a dramatic late winner against Fulham to keep United in the top-four race on Sunday. The Argentine looks like a possible future superstar, the kind of player Ten Hag can build his project around.

Later in the day, United wasn’t basking in the glow of a big win, but instead scrambling to contain the fallout from the damage wrought by its former superstar.

“I love Manchester United, I love the fans, they’re always on my side,” Ronaldo said.

He may claim to love United, but the last few months have shown Ronaldo loves Ronaldo more. And about the fans being on his side? That may have been the case before but sooner or later, Ronaldo will be forced to understand the world he occupies has changed.

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Watch: Evan Engram does Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired TD celebration in London

Evan Engram paid tribute to a soccer legend after his first Jaguars touchdown.

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram hauled in a 22-yard touchdown pass Sunday to give the team an early 7-0 lead against the Denver Broncos.

To celebrate his first touchdown with the Jaguars, Engram channeled his inner Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, 37, is a Portuguese soccer star who currently plays for the English Premier League’s Manchester United, a club that plays its games a couple hundred miles away from Wembley Stadium.

Engram signed with the Jaguars in the offseason on a one-year deal after spending the first five seasons of his career with the New York Giants. Through the Jaguars’ first seven games, Engram was third on the team in receptions with 28 for 275 yards, but hadn’t yet scored a touchdown.

Earlier in the first quarter against the Broncos, Engram and Trevor Lawrence failed to connect on a deep pass on third down. The second time around they found each other for a smooth connection.

Denver hadn’t allowed a passing touchdown since Week 3 prior to Engram’s grab.

Cristiano Ronaldo divide a la afición con su tremendo berrinche

¿Quién está mal, Ronaldo y su mala actitud o Ten Hag por no tratarlo con el respeto que se merece?

Qué mal año está teniendo Cristiano Ronaldo. Pero peor que su año ha sido la actitud del delantero, la cual ha estado marcada por berrinches que esperaríamos de un niño pequeño y no de un veterano del futbol profesional.

En el triunfo del Manchester United ante el Tottenham 2-0 del miércoles, el director técnico Erik Ten Hag optó por dejar al Bicho en la banca. El portugués tomó la decisión de muy mala forma y lo quiso hacer público cuando abandonó el campo a dos minutos de terminar el partido, más lo que se dio en prolongación.

En redes, la afición se dividió entre quienes consideraron el acto arrogante e infantil y quienes continúan del lado de Ronaldo a pesar de su mala actitud.

En contra de Ronaldo:

A favor de Ronaldo:

La salida de Ronaldo del ManU es inminente. El problema sigue siendo qué equipo va a querer al veterano de 37 años.

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Let’s check in on the Cristiano Ronaldo super-sub experiment. Surprise! It’s bad.

Leaving the entire stadium before a game ends is not the way to win friends

Cristiano Ronaldo does not seem to be smoothly transitioning into his new role as a super-sub at Manchester United.

To be fair to him, it was never going to be easy for one of the all-time greats to go from the focal point of every team he’s played on for 15 years to a bench option. That transition is particularly tough right before his final World Cup where he still figures to be the focal point for Portugal.

On the other hand: He just left the field. And the entire stadium. In the middle of a game. That his team won.

It didn’t look great when Ronaldo stormed down the tunnel late in Wednesday’s game against Tottenham with United up 2-0. Especially because United actually had substitutions left to use.

And then it really didn’t look great when it emerged that Ronaldo didn’t merely leave the field but he just kept on walking until he left Old Trafford entirely.

Incredibly, this is not the first time Ronaldo has left the premises entirely this season, but at least the first instance happened during a preseason game.

“I have seen him yeah, but I didn’t speak to him after,” United head coach Erik ten Hag told Amazon Prime after the Spurs game. “I will deal with that tomorrow, not today. Today, we are celebrating this victory.”

It will be worth monitoring how, exactly, Ten Hag does go about dealing with his unhappy former superstar.

United hasn’t really needed Ronaldo this season, as the 37-year-old has started just two Premier League games and scored one goal. The Red Devils are fifth in the table after beating Spurs, after which The Athletic said: “Ronaldo’s early exit didn’t make a ripple in the home dressing room at Old Trafford as United’s players celebrated the win over Tottenham.”

Ronaldo tried very hard to engineer an exit this summer and couldn’t find a team to take him on. In the subsequent months he’s been unproductive on the field and shown a general unwillingness to be a team player. Not exactly the way to grease the market!

Now Ronaldo is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Ten Hag likely wouldn’t mind seeing the veteran depart, but he’ll instead have to continue finding a way to deal with a player who won’t hesitate to publicly show him up if he doesn’t get his way.

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¿Estamos ante el final de Cristiano Ronaldo? Este gol fallido podría confirmarlo

Ahora tendrá que esperar hasta el próximo partido para encontrar la oportunidad de firmar su historia con el gol 700.

Decir que Cristiano Ronaldo está pasando por una mala racha es poco. El portugués no solo no está jugando la Champions League esta temporada (porque su Manchester United no clasificó) sino que su propio juego es tan malo que el club inglés lo ha sacado de la lista de titulares.

Si quedaba duda acerca de la baja que CR7, lo que vimos hoy en el triunfo del Manchester United 3-2 ante el Omonia como parte de la Europa League nos dejó claro que las cosas andan mal.

Ronaldo estuvo detrás del balón intentando una y otra vez marcar su gol del partido. Aún así, 90 minutos después, el saldo del portugués se mantuvo en ceros.

Lo que hizo todo más frustrante es que Ronaldo está a un, solo UN, gol de llegar a 700 anotaciones a nivel de clubes. El futbolista de los reds suma 699 y pensábamos que hoy sería una fecha histórica. Pero no.

Y hay que reconocer que hubo oportunidades. Como este momento, en el minuto 77, que aún no podemos creer que fallara:

La frustración de Ronaldo fue clara. Ahora tendrá que esperar hasta el próximo partido para encontrar la oportunidad de firmar su historia con el gol 700. Claro, eso si entra a jugar.

Eso sí, dio sus buenas asistencias y en general se mostró con buen juego en la cancha. Pero eso, no anotó.

 

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La estampa Panini de Messi o CR7 vale hasta $1000 USD

La estampita de Cristiano Ronaldo Legend Golden ha llegado hasta los 1’200 dólares.

La fiebre mundialista está agarrando vuelo y el clásico álbum Panini está en todo su apojeo. Aficionados del mundo intentan completar el álbum consiguiendo las estampas de sus figuras favoritas.

Siendo dos de los mejores fubtolistas de todos los tiempos, las imágenes de Leo Messi y Cristiano Ronaldo son las más codiciadas entre los coleccionistas. Hasta Kun Agüero se emocionó cuando le salió Messi.

Además, Panini se aseguró que sean también las más difíciles de conseguir. Es por ello que en Estados Unidos se ha creado un frenesí y la reventa de estampas ha llegado a precios exorbitantes.

Las estampas que llevan la leyenda especial de Legend Mundial Gold o Extra Sticker, se están ofreciendo en sitios de reventa entre los 35 dólares y los 850 dólares.

La estampita de Cristiano Ronaldo Legend Golden ha llegado hasta los 1’200 dólares, mientras que la Extra Sticker Legend ronda los 125 dólares. También hay combo ofertas donde ofrecen a los dos astros por 500 dólares.

Claro, falta que alguien esté dispuesto a comprar las tarjetas a esos precios. Pero las ofertas ahí están y ya saben cómo funciona esto, siempre hay un comprador para un vendedor.

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