CR7 slip of tongue: Playing in ‘South Africa’ not my career end
Cristiano Ronaldo’s slip of the tongue by saying playing in South Africa does not signal the end of his career has excited some quarters.
Ronaldo was addressing the press on Tuesday during his unveiling by Al-Nassr when, instead of saying Saudi Arabia, he mentioned South Africa.
The Portuguese superstar was responding to talk that his move to Saudi Arabia marked the end of his illustrious career.
Ronaldo said those undermining his switch from Manchester United to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia know nothing about football.
“They know nothing about football, as you know football now, probably in the last 10 or 15 years, is different,” he said.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner cited the performances of underdogs at the Qatar FIFA World Cup as an example of how the football landscape has changed.
“All the teams are prepared. All the teams are ready,” Ronaldo said.
“If you see, I will give you an example of the World Cup, the only team that won against the world champions [Argentina] was Saudi Arabia, don’t forget that.
“…and there were many surprises. South Korea, for example, the African teams. Costa Rica, they did a good job.
“It’s not easy to win any game today because teams are prepared,” he added.
…THEN CAME THE MIGHTY SLIP OF THE TONGUE
After that came the slip-up with the former Real Madrid superstar mentioning South Africa instead of Saudi Arabia.
“Football is different. The evolution of football is different. For me, it is not the end of my career to come to South Africa. This is what I want to change,” Ronaldo said.
The just-ended World Cup held in Qatar was full of surprises, such as Saudi Arabia stunning eventual champions Argentina 2-0 in their group’s opener.
There were also other upsets, with the likes of Morocco beating Belgium, Spain and Ronaldo-led Portugal.
The Atlas Lions became the first African team to scale the dizzy semifinal heights of the World Cup.
Morocco finally met their match as they lost 2-1 to bronze medalists Croatia.
HOW SOME QUARTERS REACTED TO CR7 SLIP OF TONGUE
In reaction to Ronaldo’s slip of the tongue, South African sports editor Peter du Toit tweeted: “So Ronaldo says he is coming to South Africa to play. You heard it here first.”
SuperSport TV presenter Thomas Mlambo also shared a video clip of Ronaldo’s mispronunciation.
An online publication called NY Breaking also commented on Ronaldo’s mention of Mzasi.
“Cristiano Ronaldo Says He’s Glad To Be In SOUTH AFRICA At Unveiling For Saudi Arabian Side Al-Nassr,” the publication’s headline reads.
Ronaldo has signed a two-year contract with Al-Nassr following his acrimonious exit from United in his second spell.
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