Romario, the former Brazilian footballer, publicly defended Cristiano Ronaldo in a statement shared on the Charla Podcast on October 8, 2026. He said he would have acted similarly to the person who exposed Ronaldo, but instead of sending them a message of support, he would have told them to "get fucked." This statement came amid ongoing discussions about Ronaldo's career and public image. Ronaldo's mother, Dolores Aveiro, expressed her disappointment over her son's exit from the Portuguese national team, noting that it happened through the "back door" rather than the "main door," according to TV7 Dias on October 8, 2026. In other football-related news, Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, spoke about the emotional impact of his team's Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain on May 30, 2025. He described having a scar and "poison in my veins" from that defeat, as reported by The Athletic on October 8, 2026. Meanwhile, Neal Maupay, a French footballer, responded to being called "son" by his manager, Roberto De Zerbi, by stating, "I don't treat my children like that," according to RMC on October 7, 2026. Fred, a Brazilian footballer who plays for Manchester United, criticized Erik ten Hag's management style, saying that while the manager was tactically sound, he had "a real mess" with the team dynamic and often got into arguments with players, according to the Charla Podcast on October 3, 2026. In a separate conversation, Fred mentioned encouraging Jhon Durán to train, but Durán responded that he was already rich and did not need to run, as reported by the Charla Podcast on October 6, 2026. Other notable football developments included Aurélien Tchouaméni's decision to take risks during the 2026 World Cup despite an injury, as noted by France 24 on October 8, 2026. Lionel Messi announced his last match with Argentina, stating the national team jersey was already missing, according to his Instagram post on October 7, 2026. Meanwhile, Eric Di Meco questioned Ousmane Dembélé's place in the French team after recent performances, as reported by RMC on October 5, 2026. Martin Terrier praised Rayan Cherki's football skills, recalling a League Cup match with Rudi Garcia, according to So Foot on October 8, 2026.