Free agent Cristiano Ronaldo, has issued a strong response to claims he wanted to leave Portugal’s World Cup camp after their 6-1 win over Switzerland by suggesting “outside forces” are responsible for the speculation.
The Portuguese superstar has broken his silence on the matter as reports suggested he had threatened to quit the base of the Selecao and proceed home from the ongoing World Cup in Qatar after being dropped by coach Fernando Santos.
Portuguese newspaper Record had carried a story suggesting Ronaldo wanted to leave the squad after he was benched for the game, where his replacement Goncalo Ramos netted a fantastic hat-trick in a convincing victory.
The Portugal FA have already released a statement with a prompt denial that Ronaldo wanted to quit and the 37-year-old has now followed that statement up, by posting across his social media platforms with a cryptic image of himself and his team-mates.
The caption read: “A group too close to be broken by outside forces. A nation too brave to let itself be frightened by any adversary. A team in the truest sense of the word, which will fight for the dream until the end! Believe with us! Strength, Portugal!”
