Cristiano Ronaldo has denied holding a grudge against Portugal coach Fernando Santos when he was substituted during Friday’s dramatic 2-1 defeat to South Korea at the World Cup as the sides qualified for the round of 16. the final.
Portugal captain Ronaldo said the comments he made as he left the field in the 65th minute were actually aimed at a South Korean player.
Portuguese media reported that the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus player, who left the English club last month, appeared to challenge Santos over the decision to replace him, using foul language towards the manager.
“What happened before my substitution was that one of the South Korean players asked me to come down quickly. I asked him to shut up because he has no power,” Ronaldo reportedly told Portuguese reporters.
“There was no disagreement (with the coach).”
Ronaldo, 37, is looking to equal the Portuguese record for most World Cup goals registered under the name of Eusebio, who scored nine goals in the 1966 World Cup in England, the only tournament he played in the Cup finals of the world.
Last week, Ronaldo became the first player to score in five editions of the cup
The scientist.
In response to a question from reporters about the Ronaldo substitution incident, Santos said a South Korean player was hostile in his statements towards five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo.
“I saw our contact with a Korean player and I have no doubts about what happened,” Santos said.
Ronaldo was largely out of trouble with South Korea’s defense during Asia’s last-gasp win over Portugal that knocked Uruguay out of the World Cup.
Ma was involved in South Korea’s equalizer in the 27th minute when a corner kick hit his back and he fell to Kim Yang-Gwon to score.
Santos made six changes to the squad that beat Uruguay on Monday, taking into account the risks of stopping some of them
Players in round of 16 due to yellow card.
Portugal had already qualified for the round of 16 before the match against South Korea started.
