The scene seemed very embarrassing at first.. Cristiano Ronaldo inside the dressing room of the Portuguese national team extends his hand in the future to his colleague Bruno Fernandes, so the latter extends his hand in a lukewarm automatic movement and then quickly turns his back on his friend in Manchester United.
A scene that took seconds, but it was enough to create an uproar around the world about the relationship between the two “Reds” stars, in the wake of recent loud statements by the Portuguese Don.
The moment Cristiano Ronaldo met up with Bruno Fernandes for World Cup duty for Portugal ???? pic.twitter.com/xUGoxEwxNj
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) November 14, 2022
Ronaldo sparked a storm of reactions after he said in an interview with TalkTV, excerpts of which were published, that he feels “betrayed” in Manchester United, and “does not respect” the coach of the Dutch team, Eric ten Hag.
Ronaldo said: “I feel betrayed. Some people do not want me here not only this year, but also last year.” Regarding the coach, he said: “I do not respect him because he does not respect me.”
Manchester United officials responded hours later that they were studying a response to the statements that came in the fiery interview, and a club statement stated that Manchester United is considering the response “after confirming the full facts. Our focus remains on preparing for the second half of the season and continuing the momentum, faith and synergy between the players, manager and staff.” And the fans.”
According to several media sources, Ronaldo’s statements angered many, including his brilliant colleague in Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes, which was reflected in his behavior, which seemed “icy” while shaking hands with Ronaldo in the national team’s dressing room.
And according to what was reported by “Marca”, it is not surprising that Ronaldo’s last interview caused Fernandes’ anger and his incredibly frosty greeting, to the point that he almost did not make eye contact with Ronaldo.
And the Spanish newspaper considered that it was clear that Ronaldo was surprised by the manner of Salam Fernandez, as the Don appeared after that, hovering in space for several seconds.
And she stressed that the dynamism of the national team players is essential to achieving success in the World Cup, in which Ronaldo is participating for the fifth time, noting that the two Manchester United stars must put that “incident” behind them before the start of Portugal’s World Cup campaign on November 24, against Ghana.
This, and others, were the most prominent rumors after the video of the handshake spread on social media on a large scale, but the “Goal” website revealed various facts in the words of Mario, the star of Portugal, who clarified the truth of what happened, stressing that the matter is no longer just a “joke” due to the arrival of Fernandes. Late to the dressing room.
Mario said: “I was in the dressing room at that moment, and I watched the video. It was a joke between them (..) because Bruno was the last to arrive.”
The Benfica midfielder explained that Cristiano Ronaldo jokingly asked Fernandez, extending his hand in peace, if he had come in a boat ?! He continued, “It was a joke between them, they play together.”
“A cold handshake between Bruno and Cristiano?”
João Mario (Portuguese player):
“It was a joke between them, Bruno was one of the last to arrive at the camp and Cristiano asked him: Did you come on a boat?” pic.twitter.com/70jUXRlQqy
— george (@StokeyyG2) November 15, 2022
On whether Ronaldo’s statements about Manchester United could cause problems within the Portuguese national team before the start of the World Cup, Mario said: He (Ronaldo) is always happy when he is in the national team. I saw him yesterday, he’s absolutely fine as always. He is fully focused on the national team and for sure he will be a great help for us in this World Cup (..) the headlines are always about him (..) I don’t see a problem with the timing, because everyone is always talking about Cristiano, so it’s good for us”.
It is noteworthy that Ronaldo is waiting to achieve great glory in the Qatar World Cup if he scores one goal, as he will be the first player in history to score in 5 consecutive editions of the tournament.
Portugal plays in Group H with Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.