BRENT A GOB: This week, Harry's fuming about Cristiano Ronaldo's interview with Piers Morgan, Liverpool's disallowed goal against Manchester City and the spike in Thibaut Courtois' reputation
13:36, 13 Nov 2025
Harry Brent
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Our man Harry is fuming in his latest column
Cristiano Ronaldo has done another sit-down interview with Piers Morgan and if their 2022 Manchester United meltdown chat was explosive, this was more of a fart in an elevator – awkward, lingering and supremely nauseating.
Piers doesn't interview Ronaldo so much as serenade him, like a pasty, lovestruck wedge of sycophantic cheese. During their bezzie mates love-in – which was about as artificial as Wayne Rooney's hairline – Ronaldo rattled off a buffet of delusional non-truths, the sort that wouldn't look out of place on Donald Trump's teleprompter.
Not only did he claim that it's harder to score goals in the Saudi Pro League than it is in La Liga – which is like claiming a hole-in-one at pub golf is harder than a hole-in-one at the Masters — he also insisted he wasn't really bothered about winning the World Cup.
This, from the bloke who, after Portugal were knocked out of Qatar 2022, turned into the sort of emotional wreck Arsenal fans become when you remind them they've been in as many Champions League finals as Spurs have.
It's about as credible a claim as "Lee Dixon is a really good pundit."
Piers Morgan and Cristiano Ronaldo
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The latest Piers Morgan-Cristiano Ronaldo interview with an embarrassment for both of them(Image: Piers Morgan Uncensored)
I just can't get over how far that man's head is up his own arse. He spent more time talking about how rich he is than Keir Starmer does about how his dad was a toolmaker.
Honestly, this was the most unproductive, brain-meltingly cringe interview since the artist formerly known as Prince Andrew was on Newsnight.
An absolutely VARce
Against Manchester City, Liverpool deserved precisely what Mohamed Salah offers outside the final third: nothing. But the decision to disallow their goal was a bigger misuse of resources than Liverpool's £450million transfer window.
Virgil van Dijk's tremendous header, which would have levelled the game, was chalked off because Andy Robertson wandered into Gianluigi Donnarumma's postcode.
VAR – presumably convinced Robertson was violating a restraining order or something – ruled the goal out with all the logic West Ham apply when hiring managers.
Suggesting the Scot had any effect on Donnarumma is about as daft as the idea of Roy Keane wearing a tutu. He was as close to the Italian's line of sight as Liverpool are to challenging for the title.
VAR ruled out Liverpool's goal because Andy Robertson was judged to have impacted Gianluigi Donnarumma
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VAR ruled out Liverpool's goal because Andy Robertson was judged to have impacted Gianluigi Donnarumma(Image: Getty Images)
This is football's version of getting a parking ticket because your tyre brushed the white line.
VAR has become less about justice and more about pedantry – as if referees are gleefully disallowing goals just to show they've memorised Sub-Clause 4(b) of Law 11 and you haven't.
We were promised "clear and obvious." In reality, we've been given "subjective and tedious." That's a bigger let down than Florian Wirtz.
Most fans aren't paying attention
Thibaut Courtois
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Thibaut Courtois has always been top class. Why has it taken most people so long to notice?(Image: Getty Images)
Is Thibaut Courtois the best goalkeeper of his generation? I'm not saying he is, but the fact that people are even debating it after his masterclass against Liverpool last week fills me with more smug satisfaction than Jude Bellingham celebrating a tap-in against Osasuna.
I remember a time when saying Courtois was better than David de Gea got you more scoffs than Ian Holloway at a Buckingham Palace banquet: "What do you mean you ain't servin' pasties?"
Courtois has been this good since 2013. But for some reason, at Chelsea, he was always treated like the Sonny to De Gea's Cher, the Yahoo to his Google, the post-helmet Petr Cech to his pre-helmet Petr Cech.
The only thing that's changed – apart from De Gea spending half a decade handling footballs like greased eels – is the badge on Courtois' shirt. And it made me realise something.
Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid makes a save from Hugo Ekitike
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The Belgian's masterclass against Liverpool sparked debate about whether he was the best keeper of his generation(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Like Trent Alexander-Arnold when his team is out of possession, most footy fans aren't actually paying attention. Not properly anyway.
Take Harry Kane. A generational striker for a decade. But Tottenham aren't as flashy as Bayern Munich, so the verdict was always: "Yeah, but has he won a trophy, though?"
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Then he starts banging 'em in against Mainz and Heidenheim and suddenly it's "Ballon d'Or next year!" – from the same fickle dweebs, who, it turns out, are just as susceptible to dumb, reactive opinions as Tommy Robinson's lot.
Well done, morons. You've finally caught up – not that you'll have the self-awareness to realise it.