In the Overlap Daily episode, Jamie Carragher, Gary Neville, and host Mark Goldbridge discuss Ronaldo's recent statements and his dispute with Portugal's manager, his performances during his second stint at Manchester United, and his changing mindset as his career approaches its end.

Neville: I went through it myself. During the final phase of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United, when he was about to be sacked, I faced a lot of criticism for not criticizing him. If you remember, you kept teasing me about it back then.

Carragher: Yes, but you weren't exactly praising him either when things were going badly. That's what they're doing now.

Neville: But what I mean is, I would never criticize Solskjaer, no. Because I felt that whether he won or lost, he always maintained his dignity. This Ronaldo situation is difficult for me. I genuinely like him a lot. I…

Carragher: Here we go again, classic Gary Neville style.

Neville: He won't like me in the same way. But honestly, I can't sit here and watch him do the things he did during his second spell at United. And I can't watch him release statements like that and say, "Cristiano, that's brilliant. You've done something amazing."

You know what I mean? When he does these things, someone needs to call him out, someone needs to tell him…

Carragher: Who's going to tell him?

Neville: No, I mean, he won't listen to me or you, or Mark. But what I'm saying is, I can't sit here and say that I approve of that statement, or that I think what he's doing is right. It makes him harder to like. If you already liked him, it makes it harder to keep liking him. If you didn't like him, it just makes you like him less.

However, I will say this: it's not irreparable. You know what I mean? In a year or so, after he retires, we'll look back and remember his brilliance in football, and people won't keep dwelling on this final period. But he needs to consider how he behaves going forward. Because for the next 35 or 40 years, he'll remain in the public eye, still doing various things. We all have to do something. It doesn't matter who you are, whether you're Messi or Ronaldo. We can also look at Zlatan now…

Carragher: You always have to do things you don't want to do.

Neville: We can also look at Zlatan…

Carragher: Look, shouldn't we be here recording this show with Mark now? (laughs)

Goldbridge: We just talked about the international break. I've been waiting five minutes for that comment.

Neville: I've seen some of the greatest players in the world—Gullit, Zlatan, Matthäus, and Henry. They're extraordinary players. You might think they'd never appear on TV, never become pundits. But during the World Cup, you see them working for Fox, and you see them on CBS.

There are some brilliant former players appearing on TV, and you think, "Wow, I never thought I'd see them do this on television."

Maybe the time will come in the future when Ronaldo needs to do something. I don't think he'll become a pundit, but he needs to do something. Because he's used to that adrenaline and excitement every day, so he'll either become a coach, an entrepreneur, or a pundit. He'll have to appear on some show or do something. I think, with 35 or 40 years left in his life, he needs to figure out what comes next. Everyone could like you, could respect you completely. You don't need to make yourself unlikeable.

Carragher: Right, no need to. I also think that when you look at great players like Cruyff, Maradona—even decades after their careers ended two or three decades ago—you can't help but smile and think, "Wow, they were true legends." So I wonder, what will people feel when they think of Ronaldo in the future? Because we will smile… I hope we will smile. But he can't keep going like this. In any case, most great players in history—when you look back on them, you remember them with affection, right?

Neville: To be honest, I'm not surprised he's thinking like this this week. Because I think this is his current mindset. When you have billions of pounds in the bank, when you have the influence he has, when you've achieved what he's achieved and had the career he's had, you feel invincible, like nothing can stop you.

You feel like you can dictate what the FA or the manager should say. I'm glad the manager stood firm and did what he needed to do.

You know what? If he actually went out and read those eight demands one by one, he would largely be abandoning his principles. And everyone would know who put him up to saying those things. So I'm glad he handled it this way. I think it's the right thing to do.

Goldbridge: Yes, let's see how it develops. I don't think he would have done this 12 years ago. I slightly disagree with you about his second spell at United: he was indeed the first to arrive and the last to leave. And if you look at his physical condition…

Carragher: How do you know?

Goldbridge: I know. I know some people at Old Trafford, and that's what he did. It's not what you think. But I also think there's one thing you can't deny: looking at Ronaldo's physical condition and how long his career has lasted, he's clearly put in the work. But 12 years ago, he wouldn't have done this. Because back then, he would have said, "I'm still one of the best players in the world. Portugal won't put me on the bench; I'll prove myself on the pitch."

What we're seeing now, you two probably understand what's happening. This is someone whose career is nearing its end, who's losing his influence. The only way left for him to show how much power he still has is to try to make the manager say things that don't make sense, because he can't perform the same way on the pitch anymore.

In the past, he wouldn't have been in this situation. Like you just said, Messi left with applause and respect, while Ronaldo has damaged everything he left behind in football through his actions. It's truly, deeply sad. I think it's hard for him to accept retirement, and hard for him to accept that he's lost that status. We can all see that clearly.

It's sad. Because, as you said, there's no one around him telling him, "Don't do this, don't do that." This happens when someone becomes too influential. We've seen it with politicians, with actors, and now we're seeing it with Ronaldo.

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