Zielinski refuses to apologise for Cristiano Ronaldo photo after 5-1 defeat

Following Poland's 5-1 defeat to Portugal in the Nations League on Friday, Piotr Zielinski and Nicola Zalewski were seen taking photographs with Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a brace in the game. The pair were criticised by Polish media for lacking "honour", especially given Poland are now under pressure to make it to the quarter finals of the Nations League ahead of their final game against Scotland.

Former Poland player Jacek Bak was particularly outraged by the matter. “It's not my thing. Times used to be different,” he said. “We get 5-1 [defeat] and I have to ask Ronaldo for a picture? The guy who f***ed us a moment earlier? Do we really have no honour in us? Today, social media is the most important thing and the first one to post a picture with Ronaldo is better? That's not the way to go."

He then continued, as he added: “Let's say it strongly: coach [Michal] Probierz should react. All that was missing was for him to take a picture with Ronaldo, or maybe swap jackets with Roberto Martinez. I guess I'm not cut out for these times. It's sad. I guess I'm cut from a different cloth. Today's world is unfortunately like that."

But Zielinski has hit back at the backlash, refusing to apologise for his actions. “I am not interested in what’s going on in social media. For me, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the top players in the history of football. I felt like taking a picture and I did. That’s it," he responded. "Why is it unbecoming? We lost the match but what should I do? Hide in a corner? I went up to him and asked him for a picture and that’s it. That’s what I felt like doing. He (Bak) has the right to have his own opinion. But I don’t think there was anything wrong with it."

Poland boss Probierz backed his players, but advised them to take a different approach in future. “I always tell the players, if you have a problem, if you feel like doing something before the match, take a picture before the match,” he said. “The 90 minutes are of key importance. This time we failed, but we know what to do, how to play, how to work. Every player is a human being. We sometimes forget about that. These are people living their lives and they are young people.”

 

November 15, 2024