star Bernardo Silva says there is no rift between and his Portugal teammates after he was dropped to the bench for a recent match.
Ronaldo was shockingly left out of the starting XI for the round of 16 clash against Switzerland, eventually coming on for the final 17 minutes.
Given how Portugal cruised to a 6-1 win without Ronaldo, with his replacement Goncalo Ramos scoring a hat-trick, the legendary striker is not expected to return to the team for the quarter-final against Morocco.
It has been a difficult season for the 37-year-old so far, having been dropped, and eventually released from due to form and attitude problems.
And with these issues now seemingly reoccurring at international level, there have been reports that Ronaldo has had a falling out with his national team, even threatening to quit in the middle of Qatar 2022.
This speculation has since been quashed by Portugal, manager Fernando Santos and Ronaldo’s teammates, with Bernardo the latest to speak out on the matter.
Asked if Ronaldo could create any problems in the camp, the City midfielder said: ‘I don’t think so. I think he is helping us.
‘Today he showed a great personality inside the dressing room, and he was fine.
‘Of course, sometimes he might not be happy because everyone wants to play. But he helped us a lot in his role and his attitude was great.’
Ronaldo has been Portugal’s captain since 2007 and it seems is still very well-respected by his international teammates, who are now aiming to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2006.
Bernardo’s comments were echoed by Ronaldo’s former United teammate Bruno Fernandes who said: ‘Do you think anyone likes to be on the bench?
‘I don’t think Cristiano would be happy. If the manager put me on the bench in the next game, I would be angry.
‘Cristiano is doing his job, he’s doing his part, he’s happy with the result because the goal for everyone is to go as far as possible.’
, .
, and .World Cup 2022: your FAQs answered
Read the latest World Cup news on .
