Rightly or wrongly, Cristiano Ronaldo has been widely regarded as one of football’s most egotistical players for the vast majority of his career.The Portuguese superstar has always been supremely confident in his own ability, which has helped him to scale such lofty heights during his illustrious career.Ronaldo has gained a reputation for being arrogant because he firmly believes he’s the best player in the world - and, indeed, the best player of all time.In a 2017 interview, Ronaldo told reporters, per ESPN: "No other footballer does things that I am not capable of doing myself. But I see that I do things that others can't do. There's no player more complete than me. I play well with two feet, I'm fast, powerful, good with headers, I score goals, I deliver assists."People have the right to prefer Neymar or Messi. But I insist: There is no one more complete than me."You will go and say that I have a big head, but when you're at the top, it's normal that you're criticised. I am the best player in history, in both good and bad times."With this type of mentality, it’s safe to assume that Ronaldo probably doesn’t take too well to any sort of criticism.
And a story has emerged via social media which suggests this assumption might well be true.Transfermarkt posted an XI comprised of Jorge Mendes clients on their Instagram account, which has 2.6 million followers.They then followed up the post with the following comment: “We can’t tag Ronaldo because he blocked us after he saw his market value…”
Someone then asked why Ronaldo blocked them and Transfermarkt replied: “He told us that he is not happy with his market value.”
People naturally assumed they were joking - surely Ronaldo wouldn’t block them for THAT? - but they then added: “It’s no joke…”
Transfermarkt currently value Ronaldo at £67.5 million - down from £81 million at the start of the season - making him the 45th most expensive player in the world behind the likes of Serge Gnabry and Heung-min Son.
When you think about it, this is probably fair enough for a player who turned 35 last month.
Yes, he’s still quality, but every player’s market value will decrease once they reach a certain age.
It doesn’t necessarily mean they think you’re rubbish these days, Cristiano.
Of course, it should be noted that somebody may have been acting on Ronaldo's behalf.
The guy has a huge team around him, which presumably includes various people to handle his social media presence.
But still... this all seems a bit embarrassing.