Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister has likened his treatment by Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag to Jesus Christ’s crucifixion.
The superstar attacker has been slammed by Ten Hag and removed from the first-team squad after he refused to come on against Tottenham. Ronaldo even stormed off down the tunnel before the end of that game, taking the shine off an impressive win for the Red Devils.
Ten Hag responded quickly, with Ronaldo fined, told to train alone and taken out of contention for Saturday's clash with Chelsea. The row has now escalated, with Ronaldo's sister Katia Aveiro now slamming Ten Hag and comparing his treatment of her brother to Jesus' death.
“No-one who was born to shine by the hands of God will be undone by someone who has never worn his shoes. He is and will be history," She wrote on her Instagram alongside selfie photos and footage of her with her 37-year-old brother.
“There is a verse in the bible that says: ‘This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.’
“He fulfilled the promise he made as a 13-year-old boy to his mum and siblings. This is the one whose accent was made fun of and was mocked over his alcoholic dad.”
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Also included in her bizarre post was a description of Ronaldo as being a warrior who “left home with tears and pain only his loved ones know” to “make a castle out of stones". She then signed off her message by saying she felt “privileged to have been born in the same family as this marvellous human being.”
In addition to that thinly-veiled comparison of Ronaldo to Jesus, Aveiro also took to her Instagram Stories to further stick the knife into Ten Hag. She filled it with messages designed to boost his morale and put his manager and detractors on the back foot.
One such message was a video of Jose Mourinho saying: “If you are not able to coach the big players you are not able to coach anyone.” The singer also highlighted former England cricket international Kevin Pietersen’s Twitter attack on Ten Hag where he branded him a “clown who is completely disrespecting the greatest footballer of our time.”
Ten Hag slammed Ronaldo for his actions in a press conference on Friday. In that conference, he called on the Portugal captain to raise his standards after the "unacceptable" incident.
"I am the manager, I am responsible for the culture here. I have to set standards and values and have to control them. We are in a team. After Rayo Vallecano, I said it was unacceptable, but it wasn't just him. The second time there has to be consequences. That is what has happened," he said.
"We miss him tomorrow, that is a miss for us and the squad, but I think it is important for the attitude and mentality of the group and now we have to focus on Chelsea - that is the most important.
"To get top sport culture and to set the highest standards, we have to live them. "That is what we do at the moment. It is not something you can construct in a couple of weeks. It takes time. Cristiano achieved a lot in his career. It is so brilliant. But he has to be aware you get judged by how you are acting today - it is not about age or reputation."
