Cristiano Ronaldo has urged the media to focus on his Portugal teammates’ upcoming matches rather than him, saying, “Please, don’t ask players about me – ask about the World Cup.”
Ronaldo made headlines when he slammed Manchester United during an interview with Piers Morgan in the run-up to the tournament. The veteran has fallen out of favor at Old Trafford since the appointment of Erik ten Hag as manager, but he remains an important part of his country’s setup.
Following the interview, there appeared to be a tense exchange with club and international colleague Bruno Fernandes, prompting further speculation. However, in explaining his position, Ronaldo has shed more light on that specific exchange..
Timing is always the same “Ronaldo told the Qatari media. “It is simple to see how we can choose timings from your perspective..
“Sometimes you write the truth, and sometimes you write the lie. I don’t have to be concerned about what others think. I only speak when I want to. Everyone knows who I am and what I stand for.”
Meanwhile, he insisted that the Fernandes incident was a misunderstanding. “His plane was late, so I asked him if he came by boat,” the former Juventus player explained.
Ronaldo, along with Fernandes and right back Diogo Dalot, is one of three Manchester United players in the Portugal squad. The Euro 2016 champions will begin their campaign against Ghana on November 24, followed by matches against Uruguay and South Korea group g matches..
The 37-year-old will lead his country in Qatar, where he hopes to add to his tally of 117 international goals, a world record that could be broken. With six goals in qualifying, Fernandes was Portugal’s leading scorer, but he was the play-off hero as Fernando Santos’ side defeated North Macedonia to advance to the finals.
During his interview with Morgan, Ronaldo slammed United manager Erik ten Hag and questioned former interim manager Ralf Rangnick. Ronaldo captained United in a recent Premier League loss to Aston Villa, but Ten Hag has frequently used him as a substitute..
“I don’t respect him because he doesn’t respect me,” Ronaldo said of the former Ajax coach. “If you don’t have respect for me, I won’t have respect for you.”
I believe the fans should be informed of the truth. I only want what is best for the club. This is why I attend Manchester United games.
“But you have some things inside that don’t help (us) reach the same level as City, Liverpool, and even now Arsenal… a club of this size should, in my opinion, be at the top of the tree, and they aren’t, unfortunately.”
Leave a Reply