You have to question the sanity of some football fans who boo a player who has scored 399 goals - or 400, depending on whether you buy into Ronaldo’s goal against Real Sociedad in 2010 being awarded to Pepe - in 389 appearances for a single club.
But that’s the life of Cristiano Ronaldo. Real Madrid supporters have come to expect so much from the four-time Ballon d’Or that he is jeered for a single bad shot or misplaced pass.
Ronaldo was booed by the Bernabeu crowd in the first half of Madrid’s 4-2 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League last month.
He shut them up, though, by scoring a hat-trick in the second half and extra-time. After he scored his first goal of the night, the 32-year-old put his finger to his lips.
"I'm not asking them to name streets after me, the only thing I ask is that they don't boo me here," Ronaldo told Spanish TV station Antena 3, per Sky Sports.
"I want them to stop booing me because I always give my best and even when I don't score I try to help Real Madrid."
Ronaldo heard boos last night
Despite his pleas for support, it doesn’t seem as if Ronaldo’s best efforts will ever be enough. The Portuguese star guided Los Blancos to the semi-finals of Europe’s elite competition and has put them on the brink of the final after scoring another hat-trick in Real’s first leg win over Atletico Madrid last night.
Yet it seems as if Ronaldo heard some whistles throughout Tuesday’s encounter at the Bernabeu, for his celebrated his third goal by telling the home supporters to applaud him, not to boo him.
This booing of Ronaldo isn’t a new thing. Back in 2015, the forward was jeered after losing possession in a game against Levante.
The game is well remembered for Ronaldo reaction to Gareth Bale’s goal. The Welshman scored twice in a 2-0 win, his first goals in 10 matches, but the Portuguese star didn’t burst into celebration after Bale’s first goal.
Ronaldo was booed by Madrid fans in 2015
And that could be entirely as a result of what he had to put up with from Madrid’s supporters. It is reported, by La Sexta and relayed by Marca, that Ronaldo even said “fodanse”, which means “f*** off”.
Check out his reaction after he heard the crowd’s boos during the closing stages of the game.
Fast forward two years and and the situation hasn’t changed a whole lot.