At Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo is about to be kicked out after his explosive interview. The incidents should not upset the Portuguese team in Qatar.
The “bulletproof” Cristiano Ronaldo took seven days to appear before the media after his explosive interview. In a black tracksuit and with a distinctive earring, the superstar broke his silence on Monday in Doha – and firmly rejected any influence on the Portuguese national team. “These incidents can sometimes shake the player but not the whole team,” said the 37-year-old.
Ronaldo wants to hide the break with his employer Manchester United in order to fulfill his title dream in Qatar. After his harsh general settlement on the show “Piers Morgan Uncensored”, United are said to have called in lawyers and are considering throwing out CR7. The club announced “appropriate steps” – so it’s quite possible that CR7 will never play for the Red Devils again.
Ronaldo went into attack mode
But since the night of Saturday, when Ronaldo got off the plane in Doha in the finest thread, the five-time world footballer has been in his oasis of well-being and switched to attack mode. “I feel great, I’m back in my best form. I’m ready to help my team achieve our goals,” said Ronaldo. Teammate Ruben Neves had already confirmed that he was in “incredibly good form” on Sunday.
Bernardo Silva emphasized that the atmosphere in the Portuguese team was “top, top, top”. The headlines about the superstar, who missed the World Cup dress rehearsal against Nigeria (4-0) due to an upset stomach, should not detract from the title ambitions of the 2016 European champions. “We’re just focused on ourselves,” said Silva.
Ronaldo is now concentrating exclusively “on the work of the national team”, as he recently wrote on Instagram. On Monday, he downplayed quarrels with his teammates Bruno Fernandes and Joao Cancelo, which had boiled over in the media: “There are always big debates and room for gossip. I’m bulletproof for that.”
Ronaldo jokes on the GOAT question
“The atmosphere in the team is excellent,” said Ronaldo, who kept joking on Monday. “It’s just like this: Some like blondes, others brunettes,” said CR7 to the debate about which of him and Lionel Messi is the “GOAT”, the best player of all time.
Instead of his eternal rival, Ronaldo would like to lift the World Cup trophy into the sky on December 18th. “If that happens, I can say that I would end my career,” the 37-year-old said in a Morgan interview: “100 percent”.
In return, Portugal will have to assert themselves in Group H in the opening game on Thursday against Ghana (17:00 CET/ZDF and MagentaTV) as well as Uruguay and South Korea. The team coached by Fernando Santos showed great enthusiasm for the game against Nigeria, even without Ronaldo. If the Portuguese do not win their group, a duel with record world champions Brazil is threatened in the round of 16.
But even if the Portuguese shouldn’t win the title in Qatar, Ronaldo would not be upset: “If you tell me that I won’t win any more tournaments in my career, I would still be happy after everything I’ve achieved.”