November 16, (THEWILL)Â – Cristiano Ronaldo’s fiery interview has not distracted Portugal’s players, according to head coach Fernando Santos who also confirmed that they will be without Ronaldo against the Super Eagles.
Portugal is currently preparing for what will be their final pre-Qatar game – that international friendly against Nigeria in Lisbon on Thursday – before leaving for the World Cup.
When asked if Ronaldo’s criticism of his club Manchester United had affected his team as they prepared for the World Cup, Santos responded that the national team has nothing to do with what happened with his most famous player.
He said: “The player decided to give an interview as many others have. It’s a personal interview, very personal actually, and we have to respect that. Isn’t Cristiano Ronaldo a free man?… It was his decision and we have to understand and respect it.”
Santos stated that no players had brought up the interview since they reported for duty on Monday before stating that Ronaldo was going to be absent against Nigeria because he was recovering from a stomach issue.
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.
