Micah Richards has defended Cristiano Ronaldo, insisting the 41-year-old still has "a couple of years left" and took aim at Alan Shearer's England goalscoring record.
Ronaldo apologised on social media on Tuesday night after leaving the Portugal camp following a disagreement with manager Jorge Jesus over playing time and his role. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has continued playing despite expectations of retirement after the World Cup, but Jesus' arrival has brought new ideas that appear to have angered the veteran forward.
Richards Backs Ronaldo
Portugal won all four games during the international break, and with the team yet to surpass a quarter-final since winning Euro 2016, some believe they are better without Ronaldo. Shearer admitted it is hard to accept your own decline, saying on The Rest is Football: "It's the hardest thing to accept that you perhaps aren't as good as you have been over the years."
Richards responded: "He's still got a couple of years left in him, come on guys, he can still score. I'm not having that he's done yet, he's still banging them in."
Ronaldo remains prolific with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, scoring 132 times in 155 games, despite criticism over the quality of opposition. He is also the highest scorer in the history of international football.
Shearer's Record Questioned
Richards was reminded of Ronaldo's recent international record, which includes failing to score from open play at the World Cup in Qatar, going goalless at Euro 2024, and scoring just twice at this summer's World Cup, both against Uzbekistan.
Richards then mocked Shearer's 30 goals for England, claiming many came against weaker sides. He said: "Oh we're bringing teams into. Ask Al who he scored against? Gaz scored against top teams, Al scored against some terrible teams."
Shearer's only England hat-trick came against Luxembourg at Wembley, but he also scored against leading nations at major tournaments. He was top scorer at Euro 96 with goals against Holland and Germany, scored in the last-16 loss to Argentina at the 1998 World Cup, and his final international goal came in a 1-0 victory over Germany at Euro 2000.
