Cristiano Ronaldo denied that he had made a grudge against Portugal coach Fernando Santos when he was substituted during the dramatic 2-1 defeat by South Korea in the World Cup on Friday, as the two teams qualified for the round of 16.
Portugal captain Ronaldo said the comments he made as he left the pitch 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, seemed to challenge Santos over the decision to replace him, using foul language towards the coach.
“What happened before my change 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 was quoted as telling the Portuguese reporters.
“There was no disagreement (with the coach).”
Ronaldo, 37, seeks to equal the Portuguese record for the highest number of World Cup goals registered in the name of Eusebio, who scored nine goals in the 1966 World Cup in England, the only tournament he played in the World Cup finals.
Last week, Ronaldo became the first player to score in five editions of the Cup
the scientist.
In response to a question by reporters about the Ronaldo substitution incident, Santos said that a South Korean player was hostile in his statements towards Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“I saw our contact with a player from Korea and I have no doubt about what happened,” Santos said.
Ronaldo was largely out of trouble with South Korea’s defense during Asia’s last-gasp victory over Portugal that knocked Uruguay out of the World Cup.
But he was involved in South Korea’s equalizer in the 27th minute when a corner kick hit his back and fell to Kim Yang-Gwon to score.
Santos made six changes to the squad that beat Uruguay last Monday, bearing in mind the risks of stopping some
Players in the round of 16 due to yellow cards.
Portugal already qualified for the round of 16 before the start of their match against South Korea.