The comment about Ronaldo ignited anger.

A normal interview response from Joao Neves was taken out of context and spread inaccurately, triggering a wave of attacks targeting his girlfriend and his teammates on the Portuguese national team.

Young midfielder Joao Neves suddenly became the focus of public attention after his comments about his senior teammate Cristiano Ronaldo at the World Cup . Photo: Reuters .

Following the disappointing 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup, midfielder Joao Neves was asked by reporters how to balance a superstar like Cristiano Ronaldo with the team's collective effort.

"We all know what Cristiano has done for the national team and for world football. But right now, I feel that he is just like everyone else, a member striving to contribute to the team. He is no different from us and will contribute like everyone else," Neves frankly shared.

This is a very standard response in football, emphasizing teamwork and respect for senior players. However, in today's complex social media environment, things have been taken too far, according to The Athletic .

Immediately after the press conference, the edited interview video , with its baseless headline, spread rapidly on the internet. Many accounts deliberately manipulated public opinion to mean: "Joao Neves criticized Ronaldo as a mediocre player."

This immediately sparked a wave of anger from a segment of Ronaldo's extremist fans.

The personal pages of Joao Neves, Bruno Fernandes, and Vitinha are flooded with harsh criticism. Overzealous fans are demanding that these players "show respect for Ronaldo" and "pass the ball to him more often."

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The chaos reached its peak when Madalena Aragao, Neves' girlfriend, posted a photo of herself with him. The comments section was also bombarded with overzealous fans. She was forced to limit the reply feature on her posts.

Furthermore, a fake statement attributed to Madalena Aragao, containing the inflammatory message "Tell your GOAT to retire," was widely circulated.

Even Georgina Rodriguez, Ronaldo's fiancée, was fooled into believing the fake news. She took a screenshot of the meme and posted it on her personal page with a critical comment, but she realized her mistake and deleted the post shortly afterward.

Ironically, in this whole affair, no one within the Portuguese team did anything wrong.

Joao Neves gave an interview, but it was edited and manipulated, then spread as a disparaging remark aimed at Ronaldo. Neves' girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, became a victim of fake news and cyberbullying. Cristiano Ronaldo remained completely silent and did nothing wrong, but his name was turned into a tool for fans to attack his own teammates.

Portugal was already facing many questions about their performance after their disappointing opening match draw.

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Now, they also have to find ways to protect the players from the wave of attacks on social media, a pressure that doesn't come from the pitch, but can affect the team's morale.

Source: https://znews.vn/cau-noi-ve-ronaldo-thoi-bung-gian-du-post1662371.html