The Juventus star tweeted an image of himself on a private plane, which did not sit well with the England legend
Cristiano Ronaldo has been criticised by Gary Lineker for a picture taken on a private plane as Emiliano Sala remains missing.
Cardiff City record signing Sala and a pilot were on a small plane travelling from Nantes to Wales on Monday evening when the aircraft disappeared off radar in the English Channel.
A search for Sala and the pilot was carried out on Tuesday, but was suspended at 5pm local time with no trace of either person found.
Local police have conceded the hopes for survival for the two are “slim” and said there would be no further updates until Wednesday, while Cardiff City released a statement Tuesday saying they were “praying for positive news.”
There has been an outpouring of support among the football world for Sala, offering their prayers and hopes for the best.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo posted a photo of himself on a private plane on Twitter and Instagram a few hours after the search was suspended.
Ronaldo captioned the tweet with three emojis: a smiling face, a plane and a thumbs up.
The tweet received some condemnation from followers for its seeming insensitivity over the situation, with perhaps the most prominent voice being former England international Lineker.
Quoting the tweet, Lineker added: “Not the day for this tweet. It really isn’t.”
Lineker also clarified his belief on Ronaldo’s intentions, thinking the Juventus star was oblivious to what he’d done, though he hoped someone could have told him the implications.
“I’m sure he’s done it without knowledge or awareness,” Lineker added, “but perhaps someone could let him know.”
Ronaldo had been in the Spanish capital on Tuesday, as he pled guilty to charges of tax evasion during his time at Real Madrid.
The forward elected to appear in court rather than address the judge by video link and accepted a suspended sentence as part of his punishment, as well as being forced to pay out nearly €19 million (£17m/$22m) in fines.
Spanish law permits judges to give two-year suspended sentences for first-time offenders.
JohnMc2018
258
Here comes the Ronaldo fans trying to justify how Ronaldo is some kind of god who can’t do no wrong😂 Lineker is right he didn’t need to post this photo especially because of the circumstances
vicks_Cr7
198
what a Joke!!😂 Does that mean he HIJACKED the plane??😂 CR7💪💪💪💪💕
JohnMc2018
171
If Raheem Sterling does this he becomes the most hated man in football so why is it different for Ronaldo?
hunanty
144
I am deeply saddened by the news of the missing plane. And let it be said that this incident involving the Cardiff and the pilot is "no fun box". This is about high probability of loss of life. Heard Cr7 tweeted! If he did what he did then he should say sorry. Lest we all forget the old maxim "what comes around, goes around!!" JW.
Zidiopy
99
it's very unfortunate to hear such news. let's just pray that God help him wherever he is so that minds will be eased when he'll be found.
Lioikyz
85
Nothing can stop Ronaldo's plane from gone missing... He's making fun of the plane... you remember Pogba's post the day Moulinho was sacked??
mancity123
75
Common guys this is stupid even if the guy didn't go missing CR7 would have still posted the pic. They are making mountain out of a mould hill.
cohanty22
11
Here comes the Ronaldo fans trying to justify how Ronaldo is some kind of god who can’t do no wrong😂 Lineker is right he didn’t need to post this photo especially because of the circumstances
Did the world stop for ronaldo when he lost his father ?? ,did you stop eating, did gary lineker stop living because ronaldo's father had died, no, that's how the world works, there's also a possibility that ronaldo was not even aware of the incident since he had a court case in madrid and had to fly back immediately, no one is perfect, we all know that ronaldo has a good side of him, if lineker cared so much about sala, what was he doing on twitter, on social media, isn't the self proclaimed saint and perfectionist supposed to be in church praying until we hear news of sala ? No one is perfect, so let's continue praying for sala, instead of being hypocritical, the world stops for no one, that's the harsh reality of life.
Pubacmsuz
8
Here comes the Ronaldo fans trying to justify how Ronaldo is some kind of god who can’t do no wrong😂 Lineker is right he didn’t need to post this photo especially because of the circumstances
god is a strong word, and he is no god but the fact here is we aren't certainly sure that Ronaldo was informed or heard the tragic accident occurring with Sala, before posting a picture on a plane. Isn't his 1st, 2nd, 3rd nor 4th time. Let's not allow sentiments becloud our sense of reasoning and be so hateful or judgemental towards someone who's equally human as us all. Ronaldo is a humanitarian