Lizarazo warns Ronaldo that "ego" may become his enemy at the end of his career with Portugal

Frenchman Picente Lizarazo, the former world and European champion, issued a sharp warning to Cristiano Ronaldo about the way his career with the Portuguese national team might end, considering that the “ego” that made a large part of his success might turn into his biggest opponent in the final stage of his career.

According to the Portuguese newspaper “Record”, Lizarazo held the three parties accountable. The Portuguese Federation, coach Jorge Jesus and Ronaldo are responsible for the current crisis, stressing that its continuation would be a “serious mistake,” given the status of the Al-Nasr captain and what he represents in the history of Portuguese football.

Lizarazo said that the end of the relationship in this way would be disastrous on the image level, stressing the need to find a formula that preserves Ronaldo’s status and gives him a farewell that is appropriate for his international career.

The former French international touched on the challenge facing senior players as they age, explaining that the difficulty for Ronaldo lies in accepting the decline in some of his physical abilities, after he built throughout his career the image of an invincible player.

He added that the solution requires a clear dialogue between Ronaldo, the coach, and the federation, through which the player knows his role precisely, whether by participating for specific periods or getting rest in other matches, warning that informing the player that he will participate, then keeping him off the field would harm trust between the two parties.

Lizarazo linked the crisis to Ronaldo's competitive personality, explaining that "ego" was one of the reasons for his reaching the top, after it pushed him to work exceptionally and break records, but at the end of the journey it may turn into a factor working against him.

Lizarazo concluded his speech with a striking warning to Ronaldo, saying: “This was your strength, but now it is your worst enemy. Because you have reached the age that you have, and you will end up in the Elephant Graveyard, I guarantee it.” The expression “elephant cemetery” is used metaphorically to refer to the place where adults end up after they refuse to acknowledge that their time is drawing to a close.

Senegal coach Patrick Vieira defended his players, Khalidou Koulibaly, the Al Hilal player, and Idrissa Gueye, the Diriyah player, following the 1-0 victory over the Comoros Islands in a friendly match held in Marseille, on Sunday.

Vieira spoke in a sharp tone, and entered into an argument with a journalist who described the duo, Idrissa and Koulibaly, as “players whose time has ended.”

The French coach responded in a press conference, saying: “What you are saying lacks respect. You should not speak in the dialect of fans abroad, because you are talking about two players who have done a lot and are making Senegal’s history.”

He added: “It is unacceptable for us to resort to these expressions even if people speak them abroad, because it is the duty of journalists to correct concepts for ordinary audiences.”

The Teranga Lions coach continued: “Describing the duo as having finished their time is unacceptable. I reject this question. It is disrespectful. They are a wonderful model and example for all players on or off the field.”

The former Nice coach asked the journalist to change the wording of the question, adding: “We are not in a state of war, but this tone is unacceptable, because we are talking about two great players, and their presence means that they can offer more to Senegal.”

By defeating Comoros with a goal by Eliman Ndiaye, Senegal achieved its second victory in a row, and maintained its unbeaten record under the leadership of Patrick Vieira, after drawing with Mozambique and defeating Ethiopia in the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Malta national football team topped the standings of Group A in the fourth level of the European Nations League.

The Malta national team won 1-0 over its guest, the Andorra national team, on Sunday, at the national stadium in the Maltese city of Takali, in the fourth round of the group, which also includes the Gibraltar national team.

Malta's only goal was scored by Teddy Touma in the 49th minute, while the visiting team was unable to achieve at least an equalizer during the remaining time of the match.

With this result, the Malta national team, which played its third match in the group, rose to 7 points at the top of the standings, with a difference of 5 points in front of its closest competitor, the Gibraltar national team, which played only two matches, while the Andorra national team’s balance stopped at one point from three matches at the bottom of the standings.

In the capital, Pristina, the Kosovo national team tied with its guest, the Austria national team, 1-1.

After a negative first half, Hoffenheim's German player, Visnik Aslani, opened the scoring for Kosovo in the 70th minute, before LASK Linz's Christoph Lange equalized the score for Austria five minutes before the end.

The draw raised Austria's score to eight points at the top of Group C of the second level, three points ahead of second-placed Kosovo, before facing the Republic of Ireland (four points) and its host Israel (one point), which will be held in Hungary later Sunday in the same group.