Jordan Peterson was invited by Cristiano Ronaldo earlier this month for a therapy session, as the latter is going through a challenging period in his career. In a talk show hosted by Piers Morgan, Peterson revealed that Ronaldo got to know about him through his friends, and he even ended up reading one of his books.
Peterson is a clinical psychologist, who was employed with the University of Toronto, until a couple of years ago, and his videos have amassed cult fandom among alt-right groups across the world. He routinely propagates polemical videos against gender equality, queers, and other marginalized groups.
Naturally, Ronaldo was slammed for meeting such a divisive figure, and posting the picture where he referred to Peterson as his “friend”. Peterson claimed to have spent close to two hours in Ronaldo’s home, where the duo discussed various topics, including “the obstacles he is facing now.”
“I went out to his house and we talked for about two hours. He showed me all his equipment for staying in tip-top condition, we talked about his companies. Mostly we talked about what he wanted in the future and some of the obstacles that he’s facing,” said Peterson.
Morgan joked that Ronaldo may have found a “Ted Lasso” in Peterson, and also added that the five-time Balon d’Or winner has been in a much better state after the meet-up.
“It seemed to me that after speaking to him a couple of days after he saw you, he’s in a much better place. What’s interesting to me is you and he both got criticized for just seeing each other, but actually, it was really helpful,” added Morgan.
For the first time in over a decade, Ronaldo has failed to score in the opening five games of the league. Erik ten Hag, the new manager, has primarily used him as a substitute, as he prefers the younger attacking trio of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, and Antony Martial.
The Portuguese star is also brutally criticized by media and fans back at home, especially after his lacklustre performance against Spain in the UEFA Nation League. Portugal has incredible squad depth, and purely on the basis of form, Ronaldo doesn’t deserve to be in the playing XI.
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