Rio Ferdinand has come to the defense of Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo, condemning the calls for the football star to leave the national team following a lacklustre performance at the European Championships.

Ferdinand expressed his dismay at Ronaldo’s disproportionate criticism compared to Lionel Messi, who is also underperforming at the Copa America.

On his Vibe with Five podcast, Ferdinand remarked, “He [Ronaldo] didn’t have a good tournament. He didn’t play well to the levels that he played [before]. You are [being disrespectful when you say he must leave the national team].”

He continued, “For what he’s done, you can’t be saying that, I don’t care. They [should] just let him go out, when he wants to go out.”

Ferdinand also questioned why Messi has not faced similar scrutiny for his performance, saying, “What was Portugal doing before Cristiano Ronaldo? Messi hasn’t scored in the Copa America and I haven’t heard a sniff.”