- 6 hours ago
Will Ronaldo-Piers Morgan scandal destroy Portugal dressing room?
FT Desk
- 20 Nov 2022 15:35 GMT
- 3 min read
Will Cristiano Ronaldo’s controversial interview with Piers Morgan destroy the team spirit in the Portugal dressing room?
That has been the big question ahead of Portugal’s first game at the World Cup next week.
Ronaldo caused huge controversy this past week after sitting down for a no-holds barred interview with TalkTV journalist Morgan.
READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo's Piers Morgan interview - LIVE!
World Cup 2022: Teams, fixtures, results, favourites
World Cup all-time top scorers
Ronaldo vs Messi at the World Cup: How their stats, goals, assists and performances compare
During the interview, Ronaldo slammed a number of key figures at Man Utd, including current manager Erik ten Hag, past manager Ralf Rangnick, owners The Glazers and club legends Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville.
He accused Ten Hag and others of betraying him and trying to force him out of the club and was heavily critical of the way Man Utd was being run.
Portugal possess two other Man Utd players in their squad; Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot.
Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes exchange
Indeed, Ronaldo and Fernandes had a frosty exchange when first meeting up for training earlier this week.
This has led to fears that the Ronaldo issue may cause a divide in the Portugal dressing room.
However, Portugal star Ruben Neves promises that the team and squad are very much together.
What did Ruben Neves say?
“There is no controversy inside the changing room,” Neves said.
“So it is impossible for us to fear any impact around that controversy as there is no controversy inside the changing room.
“This controversy exists in the media, not in the changing room. It has been all said. We are 100% focused on our World Cup campaign. We have a spectacular environment in the national team. That is our focus.
“From what I have been seeing in training, he is in spectacular form. Therefore, this is is not an issue that concerns us at all.
“We are totally aware that we have to perform as a team in order to get the most of each individual. Cristiano is no different. If we play well, Cristiano will be phenomenal.”
Portugal have been drawn in Group H with Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.
They will kick off on Thursday against Ghana in Doha.
