Cristiano Ronaldo has come in for some rather harsh criticism by former Juventus chief Giovanni Cobolli Gigli during the coronavirus lockdown.
The 34-year-old returned to Portugal earlier this month after his mother had a stroke, and he remains in his homeland after the coronavirus crisis gathered pace.
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Italy has tragically been hit particularly hard during the outbreak with the highest death toll in the world, and there are major question marks hanging over when sports will resume in the country given that the priority remains keeping people in lockdown and preserving their safety.
Meanwhile, Gigli has hit out at Ronaldo as he suggests that the decision for him to be allowed to stay in Portugal and not be in quarantine in Turin has led to further problems, while he also seemingly slammed the superstar’s lifestyle during the lockdown.
“Things at Juventus got complicated when Cristiano Ronaldo left,” he is quoted as saying to Radio Punto, by the Sun. “He said he was going to Portugal because of his mother, but now he only appears to be taking pictures by the pool.
“When the exception was made for him, things fell apart and others wanted to leave – but it shouldn’t have been like this.
“They all should have been quarantined.”
On one hand, Gigli is making a valid point in terms of players needing to be kept in self-isolation and with flights grounded, perhaps the safest thing to do was to stay in Italy to avoid the risk of further spreading as Ronaldo then set the precedent for other players wanting to leave the country.
Nevertheless, if Ronaldo has a pool in the residence he’s now staying at, why wouldn’t he use it and try to keep active while being kept indoors? It’s unclear what Gigli would rather he do while at home, but what started out as a decent point is probably now going to be interpreted in another way.