ZIELINSKI UNDER FIRE OVER CR7 PHOTO

Piotr Zielinski has responded to criticism after being photographed with Cristiano Ronaldo following Poland's 5-1 loss to Portugal in the Nations League. The match in Porto saw Poland suffer a heavy defeat, with Ronaldo scoring twice, alongside goals from Bruno Fernandes and Pedro Neto.

Despite the lopsided result, Zielinski and teammate Nicola Zalewski were spotted taking photos with the Portuguese superstar after the final whistle, which sparked outrage in the Polish media.

Former Poland international Jacek Bak was particularly critical of the pair, stating that asking for a photo with Ronaldo in the aftermath of such a humiliating defeat was disrespectful. He questioned whether players had lost their sense of honor, suggesting that the desire for social media fame had overtaken the values of football. Bak even implied that the Polish coach, Michal Probierz, should have intervened, criticizing the modern culture of social media obsession.

However, Zielinski, who was standing in for the injured Robert Lewandowski as captain, defended his actions. He explained that he and Zalewski approached Ronaldo respectfully for a photo, and neither Ronaldo nor the players had any issue with it. Zielinski emphasized that for him, Ronaldo is one of the greatest players in football history, and he simply felt like taking the photo as a personal moment of admiration.

He dismissed the media uproar, stating he wasn’t concerned with social media reactions, and questioned why taking a photo with a legend should be deemed “unbecoming.” Zielinski added that while he understood Bak’s opinion, he didn’t believe there was anything wrong with the moment.