"We play to win games" - Portugal star denies claims of the team playing for only star man Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Portugal midfielder Danilo Pereira refuted claims that the team will play for their superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Rather, the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) player insisted that the team play to win trophies. Speaking to FIFA's official website, the defensive midfielder said (via GOAL):
"There will always be criticism because Cristiano is a player who sells a lot, he is a player who is talked about every day. If he's bad, people will talk. If he's okay, people will talk. So, we within the group see this naturally."
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He further added:
"It's normal for Cristiano, being the strongest point of the national team, to have more spotlight on him, we're going to throw more balls at him, we're going to try to get him to score goals and he will also demand that.
"It's natural that there is this conversation because people think we play for Cristiano, but that's not the case. We play to win games."
Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal are set to start their campaign at the 2022 FIFA World Cup against Ghana on November 24. The 2016 UEFA Euro champions will also play Uruguay and South Korea on November 28 and December 2, respectively, in Group H.
Piers Morgan indicated that the 2022 FIFA World Cup might be Cristiano Ronaldo's last
Cristiano Ronaldo recently sat down for an interview with Piers Morgan. While snippets of the conversation have already taken over digital media, Morgan revealed another piece of information that is saddening for football lovers.
He claimed that Ronaldo said he might retire before the next World Cup rolls around in 2026 and hence, the 2022 FIFA World Cup could be his last. Speaking to talkSPORT, Morgan said (via the Manchester Evening News):
"He said he wants to retire around 40 to me. So he’s got two-and-a-half years to finish but most of all, he wants to be respected and valued and he doesn’t feel that under Ten Hag. That’s why he’s said what he’s said and he feels this manager doesn’t respect him.
"He (Ronaldo) said from the very start that he (Ten Hag) has tried to go out his way to score points with Ronaldo and he thinks it’s very easy for managers to do that because he’s the biggest name and biggest star and he can often get the headlines to distract from real problems at the club.”
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Before commencing their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign, Portugal will take on Nigeria on November 17 in a friendly.