A man who used to the lead the line for the Italian giants was “not impressed” by the Portuguese striker’s outburst last weekend
Luka Toni has called Cristiano Ronaldo’s “attitude” into question after the shirt-throwing incident involving the Juventus star against Genoa.
Juve moved to within 12 points of Serie A leaders Inter by picking up a 3-1 home win over Genoa last Sunday, with Dejan Kulusevski, Alvaro Morata and Weston McKennie all getting on the scoresheet for Andrea Pirlo’s side.
Despite the victory, Ronaldo appeared to be unhappy after the final whistle as he threw his shirt to the ground before storming down the tunnel, with Toni of the opinion that the 36-year-old was wrong not to stay on the pitch and celebrate with his team-mates.
What’s been said?
“He’s very important for Juventus,” the former Bianconeri forward told Tuttosport. “He’s the leading goalscorer, he scored a lot. But I’m not impressed by some of his attitude towards the group. I think back to when I was playing.
“I was very selfish and if I didn’t score, I still remained on the pitch to celebrate anyway. I endured the disappointment.
“Regardless of whether it was a coincidence or not, you don’t throw the shirt. Sometimes a great champion has to lead by example.”
Why did Ronaldo throw his shirt?
It was initially reported that Ronaldo hurled his jersey to the ground due to his failure to score against Genoa, having missed a number of clear chances during the match.
However, it was later explained that the Portuguese was simply giving his shirt to one of the ball boys as a gift, with the youngster seen picking it up before the forward made his way to the dressing room.
What did Pirlo says about Ronaldo’s conduct?
Pirlo was quizzed on Ronaldo’s perceived angry outburst in a post-match interview, and jumped to the defence of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“It’s normal he wanted to score a goal, especially seeing that the match had turned out in a certain way,” he told Sky Sports.
“It is part of the attitude of champions who always want to leave their mark.”
How has Ronaldo performed for Juve this season?
Juve have endured a turbulent 2020-21 campaign which has seen them exit the Champions League at the round of 16 stage and allow their grip on the Serie A crown to slip, but Ronaldo’s output in the final third has remained as high as ever.
The veteran forward has hit 32 goals in 37 matches across all competitions to date, including 25 in the Italian top-flight, four ahead of Inter’s Romelu Lukaku in the race for the Golden Boot.
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