Cristiano Ronaldo has thrown his weight behind a viral social media rant targeting his Portugal teammates, liking an Instagram post by former Brazil midfielder Felipe Melo that condemned the treatment of the veteran forward inside the national team camp.

The endorsement comes days after Ronaldo, 41, walked out of Portugal's training camp following a dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus. The tension began when Ronaldo was left on the bench as an unused substitute during Portugal's 2-1 victory over Norway on Sunday. He subsequently demanded a face-to-face meeting with Jesus before departing the camp entirely.

Melo's sharp words

After Portugal defeated Denmark 4-2 in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday — a game Ronaldo sat out — Melo went on television channel SportV and unleashed a pointed critique of how the squad had handled the situation.