Related News
Sulking Ronaldo puts Real in a mini crisis
Print Edition
TWO consecutive draws and a little rant by Cristiano Ronaldo have put Real Madrid on the verge of an early crisis.
Real got off to a good start this season but setbacks against Villarreal and Las Palmas in the Spanish league, combined with Ronaldo’s angry reaction after being substituted on Saturday, have created an air of turmoil.
The Spanish powerhouse still holds the league lead, but its advantage over Barcelona, which beat Gijon 5-0, was cut to one point after the recent lackluster performances. Real also struggled against Sporting Lisbon in its UEFA Champions League opener, when it needed two late goals to salvage a 2-1 win at home.
The biggest problem facing coach Zinedine Zidane may be Ronaldo, who was visibly upset after being replaced in the 72nd minute in the 2-2 draw at Las Palmas. The Portuguese forward did not look at Zidane as they quickly shook hands after the substitution. Frenchman Zidane was the one who moved toward Ronaldo and extended his hand.
Ronaldo had walked briskly toward the sideline after seeing he was being replaced by youngster Lucas Vazquez, sputtering words to himself and not hiding his disappointment. He continued talking, apparently in Portuguese, on his way to the bench, where he watched the rest of the game.
After the match, Zidane tried to downplay Ronaldo’s attitude, saying he didn’t think the player was angry at being replaced. The coach said he took his star forward out to rest him ahead of the team’s UCL match at Borussia Dortmund.
“We’ve got a game on Tuesday and I thought that it was the right time to bring him off,” Zidane said. “That’s all there is to it. He always wants to play and be out there on the pitch, but I’ve also got to think about the player and he needed to rest and think about Tuesday.”
Real was winning 2-1 when Ronaldo was replaced, and Las Palmas equalized near the end to keep Real winless for the second straight match.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
