The BBC faced a backlash from viewers on Monday evening after its World Cup pre-match coverage focused heavily on Cristiano Ronaldo's declining form, with many accusing the broadcaster of being 'disgraceful' and 'atrocious'.
Pre-Match Discussion Sparks Fury
Presenter Gabby Logan was joined by pundits César Azpilicueta, Ellen White and Wayne Rooney ahead of Portugal's clash with Spain on July 6, 2026. The main topic of conversation was whether Portugal are a better team without the 41-year-old Ronaldo.
Former Manchester United striker Rooney stated: 'I think he's playing too many minutes. It's the most difficult thing for any player to recognise that you're maybe not at the top of your game. He's 41. No one's expecting him to be at the top of his game.'
Viewers React on Social Media
The segment led to a flurry of complaints on social media. One viewer wrote on X: 'BBC commentary is atrocious spent the last 30mins just saying how bad Ronaldo is, how about you actually analyse the teams and the players.'
Another slammed the broadcaster, saying: 'BBC are just doing a whole segment s****ing on Ronaldo…does it not get boring? Disgraceful.'
Ongoing Coverage
This is a breaking live TV story. The Express.co.uk team will continue to update this article with the latest information. For further updates, refresh the page or sign up for the TV newsletter to receive email updates on the day's biggest TV stories.
