Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has defended Cristiano Ronaldo in the face of ongoing questions over his attitude.
Carlo Ancelotti said The 37-year-old is presently a free agent at the World Cup after agreeing to a mutual release from Manchester United in November due to mounting tensions with manager Erik ten Hag.
In recent years, Ronaldo’s behavioral issues have been well publicized, as seen by his twice storming out on United during matches this season and being sacked by Ten Hag as a consequence the second time.
The same problems seem to have followed him into the Portugal camp for what would likely be his last World Cup. Ronaldo was dissatisfied with his substitution in his country’s 2-1 loss to South Korea. He began on the bench in Spain’s 6-1 thrashing of Switzerland, playing 20 minutes and seeing his replacement, Goncalo Ramos, score a hat-trick.
The Portuguese Football Federation stated in December, refuting rumors in Portugal that Ronaldo had threatened to abandon Fernando Santos and the Qatari side. Ancelotti, who coached Ronaldo for two seasons, defended his former player to Corriere Dello Sport: “Ronaldo certainly still feels like he’s in his 20s because he’s healthy and has all the answers he needs in his body.
“The competition has intensified,” he continued: “I’ve trained him for two years without any issues. He resolved them for me.
“Cristiano trains well pays close attention to the most minor details, and is a fantastic player.
Ronaldo published a statement in response to the claims, praising the team’s togetherness after Portugal accomplished so.
On December 10, Portugal will face Morocco in a World Cup quarterfinal, and it remains to be known if the five-time Ballon d’Or winner will return to the starting lineup in light of the team’s outstanding performance in the round of 16 without him.
