Sofiane Boufal breaks silence after claims that he ‘enjoyed’ watching Cristiano Ronaldo cry after Portugal’s FIFA World Cup exit
Morocco international Sofiane Boufal took to Instagram to label quotes circulating online of him saying he enjoyed seeing Cristiano Ronaldo cry as fake. The incident allegedly happened after Portugal's elimination at the hands of Morocco in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Sofiane Boufal currently plies his trade for Qatari club Al-Rayyan. He can be deployed as a winger or an attacking midfielder and has played for Premier League side Southampton between 2016 and 2020. He made over 80 appearances and scored five goals for the Saints.
He was also part of the legendary Morocco squad that made history in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They became the first African team in history to qualify for the World Cup semi-finals by defeating Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal on December 10.
Sofiane Boufal started the game and saw a range of emotions following the game, including the anguish of Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup defeat against Morocco was most likely the 38-year-old superstar's last appearance in the competition.
Boufal reportedly mocked Cristiano Ronaldo on Qatari sports channel Alkass yesterday. He also stated that he preferred Lionel Messi over the five-time Ballon d'Or winner (via GOAL):
“With all due respect to him, but I enjoyed seeing him cry, rather than us crying. I prefer Messi over Ronaldo & the club I wish to play for is Barcelona."
Sofiane Boufal swiftly took to his Instagram account, posting a story and labeling the quote as 'FAKE'.
Sofiane Boufal denies the recent circulating quote on Cristiano Ronaldo. https://t.co/yNESUElD3x
Sofiane Boufal featured for Al-Rayyan in a 2-2 draw against Al-Sailiya in the Qatar Stars League this weekend. He next faces Al-Duhail on April 18.
How has Cristiano Ronaldo fared so far at Al-Nassr? Delving into the Portugal superstar's statistics after alleged verbal dig by Sofiane Boufal
Cristiano Ronaldo is unlikely to be fazed by Sofiane Boufal's ordeal. The Al-Nassr superstar is enjoying his time in Riyadh and has had a stellar individual season so far.
Since joining the Knights of Najd in January, the Real Madrid legend has returned to his best form and has helped them get to second in the placings in the Saudi Pro League (SPL). Al-Nassr are currently three points behind Al-Ittihad with 53 points.
With just seven games to go in the season and the recent departure of manager Rudi Garcia, fans will be hoping that Ronaldo is able to aid his side in winning the title.
Ronaldo has scored 11 goals and provided two assists in 12 games to date for the Riyadh-based outfit. He will be looking to add to his tally when his side faces Al-Hilal away on April 18.