Speaking after Real Madrid’s 0-1 defeat against Atletico Madrid, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo blamed his fellow teammates as he bemoaned the absence of ‘best players’ like Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Pepe. He went on to claim that his fellow players weren’t at his ‘level’ while saying that Real deserved to win the derby.
A second half strike from Antoine Griezmann helped Diego Simeone record yet another victory against their city rivals. Cristiano Ronaldo failed to lead the team’s attack, despite Real Madrid enjoying a lion’s share of the possession. However, he did blame his teammates for the loss in a scathing post-match interview.
My teammates aren’t at my level
Ronaldo defended himself from any criticism as he claimed that his ‘numbers and stats’ were a measure of his worth on the field. His teammates earned a sharp criticism from the Portuguese superstar who was not shy of taking names following the defeat.
Ronaldo is quoted by managingmadrid.com as saying:
“If my teammates were at my level maybe we would be leading the Liga table.
“Every year I’m playing like (expletive), according to the press, but my numbers and stats say otherwise.
“I don’t want to underrate my own teammates, but it’s hard to win when the best players are not there. I like to play with Bale, Karim, Marcelo, Pepe… I am not saying that Jesé, Kovacic or Lucas are not good, they are good, but…
“We had more chances and deserved to win, but it is what it is.”
Ronaldo is yet to score against the top 5 teams in La Liga this season
Ronaldo’s comments haven’t gone down well with the fans and it remains to be seen if he is pulled up by the club authorities. The player did not shy away from taking names as he targeted the youngsters for failing to fill in for the first team players. He also seemed to highlight the fact that Real Madrid have suffered a string of crucial injuries this season which has adversely affected their title aspirations.
The Portuguese has been criticised for failing to score against big teams this season. While Ronaldo is the second highest goal scorer in Spain this season, only 6 of his goals came against teams who are currently in the top half of the table. He is also yet to score a goal against the top 5 teams in La Liga this season. Out of the 12 goals scored in the Champions League, 11 came against Malmo FF and Shakhtar Donetsk. Hence it will be interesting to see how his comments are received in the dressing room and in the press in the days to come.
