BBC finally breaks silence on ‘Misstiano Penaldo’ legend after he angered fans with Cristiano Ronaldo joke

The BBC has issued a public statement in response to fan backlash over a caption used on screen to describe Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2024.

Ronaldo’s Portugal were knocked out of the competition on Friday night after losing to France on penalties in the quarter-finals.

It was the second consecutive match involving Portugal that went to penalties, with their round of 16 tie against Slovenia also going to penalties after a goalless draw.

In that match, Al Nassr superstar Ronaldo burst into tears after missing a penalty in extra time and needed the support of several teammates to regain his composure.

Ronaldo eventually recovered to score his penalty in the shootout, with Portugal progressing after goalkeeper Diogo Costa made three saves for his side.

The BBC received criticism from Ronaldo fans after the match after using the caption ‘Misstiano Ronaldo’ on their match highlights.

Meanwhile, former Chelsea and England captain John Terry branded the legend a “disgrace” on social media.

The BBC has now released a statement about the caption, insisting it was simply a light-hearted joke.

The statement read (via The Sun): “The caption was simply intended as a play on words, something we have done many times before on Match Of The Day’s analysis graphics. There was no intention to offend Cristiano Ronaldo.

“In fact, throughout the program we spoke favorably about Ronaldo on several occasions, including:

“1. In the pre-match build-up, when José Fonte highlighted Ronaldo’s dedication to training, saying it’s the reason why “he’s one of the best of all time.”

“2. At half-time, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer analysed Ronaldo’s movements at length, describing them as “absolutely fantastic”.

“3. After the penalty shootout, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer both referred to Ronaldo’s courage and belief in stepping forward and taking a penalty.

“At no point were the pundits overly critical of Ronaldo and in the context of the programme in general the tone was always respectful towards him.

“We are, however, aware that some viewers were unhappy with the graphics and their feedback has been passed on to the production team to help guide their work in the future.”

Explaining why he broke down in tears after his penalty miss, Ronaldo told Sport TV: “Even the strongest people have their days, I was depressed and I was sad because the team needed me.

“Sadness at the beginning and joy at the end, that’s what football brings, inexplicable moments, from the eighth to the 80th minute, that’s what happens.

“I could have given the national team the lead, but I didn’t manage to do it. (Jan) Oblak saved, I didn’t miss a single time during the year, and when I needed it most, Oblak saved.”

Ronaldo later confirmed that Euro 2024 would be his last European Championship, days before his team’s elimination at the hands of France.