Bruno Fernandes breaks silence on speculation that he snubbed Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo's handshake
Portugal and Manchester United playmaker Bruno Fernandes has finally given his two cents on seemingly snubbing teammate Cristiano Ronaldo's handshake.
Bruno Fernandes and Ronaldo are currently in the Portugal camp preparing for the FIFA World Cup. A video of Fernandes seemingly snubbing the Selecao captain in the dressing room went viral, with many assuming it was due to Ronaldo's bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
Bruno Fernandes gives Cristiano Ronaldo a frosty reception as Portugal meet for the World Cup. https://t.co/W5rDdMirc8
In the video, Bruno Fernandes can be seen responding to Cristiano Ronaldo's handshake in a frosty manner. However, fellow Portugal teammate Joao Mario was quick to dismiss the frostiness as merely a joke, explaining (via Manchester Evening News):
"I was in the locker room at that moment. I saw pictures. It was a joke between them. Bruno Fernandes was one of the last to arrive. Cristiano asked: 'Did you come by boat?'”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes wouldn’t even look at each other during training for Portugal today. 👀🇵🇹 https://t.co/KlcZcSxSao
Fernandes has now broken his silence on the perceived snub. The playmaker took to social media in response to Joao Mario's words, stating in his Instagram story (via Manchester Evening News):
"Oh Joao Mario, there you are ruining the covers of the newspapers".
The playmaker also included a laughing emoji, dismissing any concerns about a rift between him and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Manchester United striker notably revealed it all in an interview with Piers Morgan, where he openly criticized manager Erik ten Hag and the Old Trafford hierarchy. He noted that he did not have any respect for Ten Hag, while claiming that the manager and other executives were trying to push him out of the club.
However, the events surrounding the 37-year-old's interview seem not to have affected his relationship with Portugal teammate Bruno Fernandes. The duo will hope to use their relationship at Old Trafford to drive the Selecao deep into the World Cup, as all eyes turn to Qatar.
"For us, it's the same" - Bruno Fernandes' Portugal teammate Joao Mario discusses Cristiano Ronaldo
Following his revelation about the events that happened in the Selecao dressing room, Joao Mario was also quizzed about Ronaldo. The midfielder was particularly asked how the constant attention on the 37-year-old affects the team, to which he responded (via the aforementioned source):
"For us it’s the same, the headlines are always about him so for us it’s quite the same. So I don’t see a problem with the timing because everyone always speaks about Cristiano Ronaldo so it’s fine for us."
Joao Mario will hope he can partake in the Selecao's push for an impressive World Cup run, which could potentially see them secure the most coveted trophy in football.