December 08, (THEWILL) – Despite ongoing criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo’s attitude, Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti, has come out in defence of the superstar.
The 37-year-old, who agreed to a mutual termination of his Manchester United contract in November, as a result of growing tension between himself and manager, Erik ten Hag, is presently representing Portugal in the World Cup in Qatar, where it seems similar attitudinal issues have cropped up.
But, the Portuguese Football Federation, on Thursday, refuted rumours that Ronaldo had threatened to abandon Fernando Santos and the team in Qatar, as some media sources claimed.
Ancelotti, who managed Ronaldo for two seasons in his first time at the Santiago Bernabeu, delivered a defence of the forward amid all the drama: “Ronaldo probably still feels in his 20s because he’s fine, he’s got the answers he’s looking for in his body. The competition has become tough. I’ve coached him for two years and there were no problems. In fact, he solved them for me.
“Cristiano trains well, he pays attention to detail, everything was easy for me to manage. He is an exceptional player.”
Ronaldo also issued a personal statement addressing the rumours while praising the team’s cohesion under Santos. On December 10, Portugal will play Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinal and it is uncertain if the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would be given a starting position.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
