Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister hit out at Portugal’s players and appeared to endorse criticism directed towards Bruno Fernandes after the 1-1 draw with DR Congo at the World Cup.
Portugal got off to a sluggish start in Group K as Joao Neves’ early goal for Roberto Martinez’s side was cancelled out by Yoane Wissa. Ronaldo, meanwhile, attracted a significant amount of criticism for his subdued display and Martinez is now facing calls to drop the 41-year-old from the starting line-up for Portugal’s next group game against Uzbekistan on Tuesday.
However, Ronaldo’s sister, Katia Aveiro, is adamant that her brother is not solely to blame for Portugal’s failings as she criticised the team.
‘They magically forgot how to pass, how to win the ball, how to counter-attack. The game became all about passing backwards in midfield,’ Aveiro wrote in a post on Instagram. ‘This World Cup is strange. Strange. But let’s go, wrong starts, right finishes. Until the end.’
In a follow-up video, Aveiro said: ‘As a supporter of my country, I was disappointed. We didn’t play well, nobody played well. We started the game well, but that was just the beginning. But as I’ve always heard, bad starts often lead to good ends, so let’s think positively. Only those who are there make mistakes. No player was good, it wasn’t the team we expected.’
Aveiro then appeared to endorse criticism of Bruno Fernandes by liking a post on Instagram which accused Manchester United’s captain of ‘going missing’ for Portugal. The post read: ‘Bruno Fernandes looks like a different player when he wears the Portugal shirt. When Portugal need a leader the most, he often goes missing and leaves the responsibility to others. Plenty of talent, plenty of media attention, but where are the decisive performances in the biggest moments?’
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Portugal centre-back Ruben Dias dismissed criticism directed at Ronaldo’s performance. ‘First of all, the arrows aren’t pointing at just one player,’ Dias said. ‘Cristiano is a major focus of attention but I think we’re all involved. Above all, apart from what I just said, I don’t think anything out of the ordinary is happening. It’s always been like this since I’ve been here. I believe it will continue to be in the future.’
