Cristiano Ronaldo has said that his furious reaction to being substituted against South Korea in their final group stage match at the World Cup on Friday, December 2, was aimed at an opponent and not Portugal’s coach, Fernando Santos.
While Portuguese media had quoted Ronaldo mumbling “You’re in a f*cking hurry to sub me off” before leaving the pitch in the 65th minute, the sacked Manchester United star who spoke at a post-match conference said his reaction was directed towards a South Korean player.
Ronaldo said;
“The Korean player was telling me to leave quickly and I told him to shut up because he has no authority. There is no need for controversy. It’s the heat of the match. Whatever happens, things always stay on the pitch. The most important thing is that we have to be united. We are in the next phase. Not only the players, but also the Portuguese people have to be confident.”
Though Portugal is proceeding to the Round of 16 as their group winners, they were defeated 2-1 by South Korea in their final group match.