A former LaLiga star has claimed Cristiano Ronaldo’s behaviour at Real Madrid ‘left a lot to be desired’, as he branded the star ‘arrogant’ during his time at the Spanish giants.
Ronaldo enjoyed a trophy laden spell at Real Madrid which included four Champions League triumphs and two LaLiga titles, as well as multiple Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup triumphs.
The football legend, who now plays for Al-Nassr, also became Real Madrid’s all-time top goalscorer, after netting 450 goal in 438 matches at the club.
Ronaldo, however, had several clashes with opposition players during his nine years with the Spanish giants.
One of the most infamous incidents came in the 2011/12 season, when he was involved in a confrontation with Osasuna forward Walter Pandiani.
The pair squared up to each other at half-time during Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat by Osasuna, with Ronaldo accused of taunting his opponent by asking how much he earned.
Walter Pandiani branded Cristiano Ronaldo ‘arrogant and unpleasant’ 14 years on from their clash in a LaLiga match
Pandiani accused Ronaldo of aiming free kicks at fans during the warm-up to their 2011 match
Man City
Tottenham
*18+, excludes NI. Terms and conditions apply
Pandiani had claimed at the time that Ronaldo should be ‘more humble’ and learn from Messi, with accusing him of ‘having a screw loose’.
Speaking about the incident 14 years on, as Real Madrid faced Osasuna in their LaLiga opener on Monday, Pandiani remained forthright in his opinions of Ronaldo during his time at Real Madrid.
Pandiani, now 49, claimed Ronaldo had been riled up by the Osasuna fans pre-match and accused him of aiming free kicks at the crowd, before sparking an ‘unpleasant’ incident on the pitch.
‘The crowd there is very aggressive, and they were whistling and insulting him from the moment he came out to warm up,’ told Spanish newspaper AS.
‘That p****d him off, and he was practicing free kicks, shooting at people. That’s why he started the match so heated.
‘During a foul against Real Madrid, Cristiano pushed my teammate [Javier] Camunas, and I went to defend him. I pushed him, and he asked me who I was and how much I was paid.
‘The brawl continued in the changing room tunnel with him and Sergio Ramos. I was very angry, and so were they.
‘I didn’t like his attitude at all. He was an arrogant guy. He was tremendous as a goalscorer, but his behaviour left a lot to be desired.
Ronaldo was accused at the time of asking Pandiani how much he earned, leading to a half-time clash between the pair
‘Then [Jose] Mourinho came out and said I was looking for free publicity after playing in the First Division for eleven years. It was very unpleasant.’
Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat by Osasuna, with Camunas scoring the winner, would prove a damaging one as rivals Barcelona beat them to the LaLiga title by four points that season.
Pandiani, who played for multiple LaLiga clubs and had a spell with Birmingham City, had enjoyed an impressive career.
The Uruguayan scored 82 goals in 279 LaLiga matches during his career and won the Copa del Rey with three different clubs, as well as the Spanish Super Cup twice with Deportivo La Coruna.
