Katia Aveiro, the sister of Cristiano Ronaldo, had a lot to say about the poor performance of Portugal during its World Cup opener. She, like many of her brother’s most vocal supporters, did not question the lack of creativity on offense.
There is a much deeper issue and it starts with the basics.
International soccer fans will be curious to see whether the Portuguese side is able to show signs of life in its next match. They, like Aveiro, would love to see her superstar sibling get an increased number of touches on the ball.
Katia Aveiro is a pop star!
I’ll be honest. As a more casual soccer fan, I did not know that Cristiano Ronaldo even had a sister. I definitely did not know that she sings. Katia Aveiro has more than 1.5 million followers on Instagram. That was also news to me.
Aviero began her music career under the stage name ‘Ronalda’ after her brother, but has since transitioned to her own name.
The 48-year-old sister to the man known only as ‘Ronaldo’ shared her thoughts on her brother’s opening match at the World Cup. Portugal played to a 1-1 draw with DR Congo as -350 betting favorites. It was a surprising result. Disastrous, even.
Aveiro posted the following criticism (translated) on her Instagram story:
“Magically, they forgot how to: • Pass the ball around • Win the ball back • Launch counter-attacks. The game became all about passing backwards in midfield… Strange World Cup. Very strange.”
She did not mention her brother by name. Nor did she address his poor play.
Cristiano Ronaldo is subject to widespread criticism at the World Cup.
Ronaldo’s most passionate supporters question whether his teammates are trying to sabotage their star player. Fernandes, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Pedro Neto have been inundated with claims that they intentionally stopped him from playing a role in the match.
It did not help that Neves said Cristiano Ronaldo is “no different” from any other player on the squad.
‘We know what Cristiano has done for us, for our national team, and for the world of football. But at this moment, he and we know that he is no different. He is just another player here to help. He is no different from the others. He is here to contribute, just like all of us.”
Many soccer fans took his comments as a jab. He and his teammates are annoyed with the spotlight that is always on Ronaldo.
I don’t necessarily see it that way but the numbers do raise some questions. Portugal had 75% possession and 26 crosses but it did not get the ball to Ronaldo after 66 minutes. He had fewer touches than almost ever starter. Should he get the ball more often?
Ronaldo did not play well in the opener. Not only did he two huge opportunities in the 68th and 73rd minutes, he often looked like he was taking up space on the pitch. There was not a lot of flow. His positioning was poor. He has not scored a non-penalty goal in a major competition.
Despite this, Portugal manager Roberto Martinez is not ready to give up on his star player just yet. The Portuguese squad will continue to live and die by Cristiano Ronaldo. His sister hopes that his teammates will play better around him but she also needs her brother to step up just as much as his teammates. Her criticism also applies to her high-profile sibling.