Piers Morgan has again gone into battle for Cristiano Ronaldo after the BBC appeared to mock the Portuguese icon for his penalty miss against Slovakia. Despite his country eventually winning through on spot kicks, it proved a nightmare occasion for international football’s record goalscorer, missing a host of chances before being denied from 12 yards by Jan Oblak in extra time.

The 39-year-old duly burst into tears following his miss, with the scenes duly going viral on social media.

He did beat Oblak at he second attempt during the shootout, but despite his side going through to a quarter-final with France, it was Ronaldo’s display and subsequent antics that has since dominated the post-match talk.

And the BBC’s attempt to make fun of the Real Madrid icon has not gone down well with Morgan. They posted the caption ‘Misstiano Penaldo’ on one of their replays, prompting the divisive TV presenter to hit out on X.

“Who did this?” he wrote. “Why did they think it’s OK to mock a legend of the game like @Cristiano in such a cheap way during a publicly-funded broadcaster’s output of an international tournament?”

Morgan, 59, also questioned whether Ronaldo’s long-term rival, Lionel Messi, would have had similar treatment: “Would the BBC have done that to Messi or any other great?” He added. “No. So why did they do it to Ronaldo?”

Initially, many users questioned if the image of the caption was genuine, or had been photoshopped on for the benefit of social media. But former BBC presenter Dan Walker then seemingly confirmed Morgan’s fears, calling the work “perfect penalty punnery.”

Walker also appeared to name the culprit, writing: “I hear it came from the mind of Gary Pask. I used to work with him on Football Focus and I’m sure he’s been sitting on this for years.”

Walker also hit back at fellow users arguing the Beeb should be embarrassed by the jibe, arguing: “Why? It’s a daft little joke. They also used HARRY PAIN when he missed (in the 2022 World Cup). It’s no deeper than that.”

Morgan ranting on Twitter, or indeed sticking up for Ronaldo, is nothing new of course. The pair’s now infamous interview in November 2022 led to the forward’s explosive departure from Manchester United, which led to his subsequent move to Saudi Arabia.

But even the icon’s great friend would have to admit he’s currently struggling to replicate the prowess that has cemented his legacy as an all-time great. He’s now on a run of eight games without a goal in international tournaments, the longest streak of his career.

The BBC refused to comment when approached by Express Sport.