Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Cristiano Ronaldo, the GOAT who’s stared down defenders and doubters alike, just unleashed hellfire on a fellow Portugal star. In a move that’s set social media ablaze, the 40-year-old Al-Nassr icon unfollowed Rúben Neves on Instagram hours after the Al-Hilal midfielder dropped a venomous “joke” in a leaked group chat: “Cristiano Ronaldo is gay.”
The slur, exposed by Portuguese outlet A Bola late Saturday, stemmed from a heated post-match WhatsApp spat among Seleção players after Portugal’s 2-1 Nations League thriller over Croatia. Sources say Neves, 28, fired off the barb amid banter over Ronaldo’s “diva demands” for extra recovery time – a nod to his recent penalty heroics and ongoing fitness tweaks. “It was meant as ‘banter,’ but it crossed every line,” a national team insider fumed. “Rúben thought it was locker-room ribbing. CR7 saw it as a gut-punch to his legacy.”
Ronaldo’s response? Swift and savage. By 2 a.m. Riyadh time, the unfollow button was smashed – erasing a decade of mutual follows from their 2016 Euros glory days. But he didn’t stop there: His legal eagles at CR7 Enterprises slapped Neves with a defamation lawsuit in Lisbon courts Sunday morning, seeking €5 million in damages plus a public apology. “This isn’t football rivalry – it’s homophobic poison,” the filing blasts. “Cristiano built an empire on respect; this erodes it.”
X is a warzone. #RonaldoVsNeves exploded to 4.2 million posts in 12 hours, with memes morphing Ronaldo’s iconic “Siuuu” into rainbow filters and Neves’ face on a clown emoji. Portugal diehards are split: “Neves is a snake – unfollow and good riddance!” roared one viral thread, while skeptics sniped, “CR7’s ego can’t handle a joke? Grow up, fossil.” Al-Hilal fans trolled with Neves’ profile pic swapped for a rainbow flag, captioned “Out and proud?”
Neves’ camp scrambled with a half-apology IG Story: “Misunderstanding. Deep respect for CR7 – no malice.” Too late. Portugal coach Roberto Martínez called an emergency huddle: “This divides the squad. Unacceptable.” With Euro 2028 qualifiers looming, whispers of a Neves benching swirl.
From pitch-perfect penalties to personal vendettas, Ronaldo’s off-field playbook is as ruthless as his right foot. One tweet nails it: “Unfollowed on IG, unfriended for life.” Will Neves grovel, or double down? The GOAT’s waiting – and he’s not smiling.
