After the center of gravity was wherever it went, Cristiano Ronaldo became a burden even on the national team, following the attack he launched on his English team Manchester United and his Dutch coach, Eric ten Hag, which makes Portugal burdened with his concern at the start of its campaign in the Qatar World Cup, which begins, Thursday, once morest Ghana.
In a move considered “suicidal” in the world of professionalism, Cristiano Ronaldo decided to wage war on his United team and coach Ten Hag because of his marginalization in the “Red Devils”, on the eve of the start of the Qatar World Cup finals, so his team abandoned him with “immediate effect” expected, on Tuesday evening.
For a player the size of Ronaldo, who has been the image of the national team for nearly two decades with his 191 matches and 117 goals (an international record), playing a tournament the size of the World Cup, and the demand of many that the coach, Fernando Santos, should not include him, is essential so that he does not affect the performance of the national team, is a great indicator. Too big of a problem that the best player in the world got himself into five times.
And it came to the Portuguese newspaper “A Bola” to come out with the headline “A little Ronaldo, more Portugal”, wanting to focus on the national team looking for an attempt to join the giants and win its first world title, to add it to its first and only continental coronation in 2016 in the World Cup. Europe.
Portuguese players tried to mitigate Ronaldo’s problem, including Manchester City star Bernardo Silva, who said the atmosphere was “excellent”.
Another player here to help our country.
Questions poured in on Bernardo Silva regarding Ronaldo, but the midfielder refused to indulge in answering these questions, stressing that his colleague was focused and motivated.
Silva said, “The news coming from England has nothing to do with the national team. It also does not concern me personally, and therefore I will not comment on it.”
And with the insistence of journalists on the subject of Ronaldo and the question whether this issue affects the atmosphere in the Portuguese national team, especially in light of the video clip that was circulated regarding a cold handshake between the “Don” and his colleague in the “Red Devils”, Bruno Fernandes, Silva replied, “I do not see What a strange atmosphere in our team between Cristiano and any other player.”
“It is a matter for him (Ronaldo) and he has to solve it individually with the right person,” he stressed, adding, “I see Ronaldo motivated and focused, like everyone else, and he is another player here to help our country and the national team.”
Portugal excelled in its recent friendly victory over Nigeria, 4-1, in the absence of Ronaldo.
Silva believed that it was normal for the team to work well without Ronaldo, adding, “It is clear that he is part of the team, but when he is not present we know how to respond. When he is not there, we respond well. We are ready.”
And he considered that “there are 26 (players) of us, and it does not matter whether it is one person or another (playing).”
“don’t talk regarding me”
Cristiano Ronaldo will play his fifth participation in the 2016 World Cup, which will be opened by the European Champions, once morest Ghana, on Thursday, in Group H, while Uruguay will play with South Korea in the second meeting.
Ronaldo, 37, seemed ostensibly unaffected by the controversy he caused, reassuring, “The general atmosphere is excellent (…) The next player who comes here, you don’t have to ask him regarding it, don’t talk regarding me, you don’t have to talk regarding Cristiano Ronaldo (. ..) Help them and ask them regarding the World Cup.”
In an open group whose results are difficult to predict, Ronaldo will try to become the first player to score at least a goal in five different versions of the World Cup (from 2006 to 2022), to beat great names such as Brazilian legend Pele, the Germans, Miroslav Klose, and Uve Zeller.
But like his star, the Portuguese national team seems to be in decline, but Santos does not lack talent, as his battalion includes prominent figures such as Joao Felix, Rafael Leao, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Cancelo, Robin Dias, Bernardo Silva, and others.
But now he faces the challenge of renewing the style of a team built entirely around Ronaldo, who is nominated to start once morest Ghana in a repeat of the group stage in 2014, when “Seleção” won Europe 2-1, thanks to the “CR7” goal in particular.
Uruguay to determine the course of the conflict
On paper, it is expected that Uruguay, the world champions in 1930 and 1950, will be the main competition for the top spot in the group, and the victory over South Korea, Thursday, at the Education City Stadium once morest a team considered the weakest link, will set the pace of the struggle and give “La Celeste” the necessary push to try to reach a price. The final for the fourth time in a row, although the South American national team is no longer as glowing as it was four years ago, following it became the stars of the attack, Luis Soares and Edinson Cavani, at the age of thirty-five.
Uruguay suffered in the qualification process, during which it was forced to dismiss its legendary coach, Oscar Tabaris, following 15 years at the head of the coaching staff, and appoint Diego Alonso, who led it to four consecutive victories, which ensured its fourteenth participation in the football tournament.
The Uruguayan and Korean teams go back in memory to 2010 when they faced each other in the final price, and the first came out victorious 2-1 with a double, Luis Soares, on his way to fourth place in his best result since 1970.
The two teams also faced each other in the group stage in 1990, when Uruguay won with a goal in the last seconds, thanks to Daniel Fonseca.
In addition to Soares, the national team’s all-time top scorer with 68 goals, and runner-up Cavani (58 goals), the squad is filled with players with great experience with defenders Diego Godin (36 years), Martin Caceres (35), and goalkeeper Fernando Muslera (36).
Young talents stand out, with Darwin Nunes, Ernesto Valverde and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Alonso also included defender Ronald Araujo, although he underwent surgery on his thigh muscle.
