ROY KEANE has backed Cristiano Ronaldo to prove his critics wrong by performing at the World Cup.
Ronaldo is now a free agent after having his contract terminated by Manchester United in the aftermath of his explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
But Utd legend Keane has backed the Portugal star to bounce back at what is likely his final World Cup – something which may have contributed to his flood of emotion prior to kick off with Ghana.
While working as a pundit on ITV, Keane said: “I am looking forward to seeing him play. It will settle down now. He has done his talking with a couple of interviews.
“He has to do his talking on the pitch. I hope he performs on the pitch and I believe he will. He can shut a few people up, all the idiots who have been criticising him.
“I am lucky to have played with him and am glad to be watching him tonight.”
Ronaldo lead the line for Portugal as they took on Ghana in their World Cup opener.
The 37-year-old had the ball in the net in the first half but saw his strike ruled out after the referee deemed him to have fouled a Ghana defender to win the ball back – leaving him fuming.
He has also been on the other end of striker fortunes, with his first touch letting him down for an early one-on-one chance before he squandered a good headed opportunity.
But eventually he found his breakthrough from the penalty spot and became the first player to ever score at five World Cups.
The former Juventus and Real Madrid star got back on the scoresheet for the first time for Portugal since scoring a brace against Switzerland in June.
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Ronaldo has struggled with his form at club level this season, scoring just once in the Premier League before his United contract was terminated.
His future is up in the air at the moment, but an official contract offer for him has been placed by 14th-tier side AFC Crewe for a club-record £35-a-week.
During his tell-all interview, Ronaldo said he felt the club had betrayed him and that he did not respect manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo also fired a stinging shot at the Glazers as he said they did not care about the club.
Whether it was a contributing factor or simply a coincidence remains to be seen, but the Glazers have since put the Old Trafford outfit up for sale.
This has sparked debate over who might take over the mantle of the club, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, David Beckham and even tech giants Apple among the names tossed into the hat for an ownership bid.
