Cristiano Ronaldo: What really happened with Bruno Fernandes 'snub'

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:56 CDT
• 4 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo has lifted the lid on the awkward dressing room exchange he had with Manchester United team-mate Bruno Fernandes when they first met up on World Cup 2022 duty with Portugal.

In a video published by the Portuguese FA, Bruno was seen coming into the dressing room and gave Ronaldo an awkward handshake before going on to hug his other team-mates warmly.

The timing of this was what was really interesting as it came out shortly after Ronaldo’s controversial interview with Piers Morgan was broadcast. Although he did not target Bruno, he offered strong criticism to Manchester United as an institution, attacking the club from the top and claiming that he had been “betrayed” and “disrespected”.

World Cup 2022 top scorers

Portugal’s all-time leading scorer says that that was not the reason Bruno looked at him so coolly when they met up. Indeed, he claims that he was “playing around” with his club-mate.

In a shock appearance at a press conference on Monday with the Portugal national team, he said: “Bruno’s plane was late – I asked him if he had come by boat!

"The media made a storm out of it, like they did with Joao Cancelo. There's always controversy. I'm used to it.

"But I'll say it again, the atmosphere around the squad is excellent."

MORE: ‘Bullet proof’ Ronaldo defends himself after interview controversy

Ronaldo is ‘spectacular’ form

Ronaldo’s appearance in front of the media is unlikely to be sufficient to calm the hype following his interview with Piers Morgan, particularly after he missed Portugal’s friendly victory over Nigeria last week. Officially, he was suffering from a stomach bug that meant he could not leave his hotel room.

Meanwhile, he has not been immune from criticism in his homeland, with his performance targeted following September’s Nations League defeat against Spain.

International team-mate Ruben Neves defended Ronaldo on Sunday.

“From what I've seen in training he is in a spectacular state of form,” Neves said.

“We're not worried about anything. We know that we can work very well so that individuals stand out. If we are good, Cristiano will be phenomenal.

“I don't think there's controversy in the dressing room, it's impossible for us to go around without some controversy," said the midfielder.

“There's more outside the camp and in the media than in the dressing room. It's all been said, and we have a spectacular atmosphere.”

Portugal’s World Cup campaign gets underway with a match against Ghana on Thursday, with Ronaldo expected to lead the line in that encounter, despite indifferent form for Manchester United this season.