Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Real Madrid is under the microscope after the Portuguese star admitted he was unhappy with the club.
Instead of celebrating his 150th goal for Los Merengues in the 3-0 win against Granada at the Bernabeu on Sunday night Ronaldo, who bagged a brace, appeared subdued before being substituted in the 63rd minute.
He later revealed his sulk was due to a rift between him and the La Liga champions.
“I’m sad because of a professional issue and the club know why,” Ronaldo, the most expensive player in history, said. “That’s why I didn’t celebrate the goals, because I’m not happy. The people [at the club] know why.”
Talk of a possible exit would be premature, however, Madrid management would do well do iron out their differences by the time the next transfer window rolls round in January.
Ronaldo refused to reveal exactly what the issue was, although he is rumoured to have fallen out with keeper Iker Casillas.
Last week he missed out on the UEFA Best Player in Europe award to Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta and it has been suggested Real are simply copping the brunt of his frustrations.
But Ronaldo rubbished that claim, saying: “It’s nothing to do with Andres Iniesta. I won’t talk about this any more and I will concentrate on Portugal for now. There are more important things [than this].
“The people at the club know about this. I cannot say any more.”
The tension is set to linger for a while yet with Ronaldo on international duty for the next nine days, despite aggravating a thigh injury against Granada. He added: “I’m fine. I am going to Portugal to see if I recover in the next couple of days, because I want to play those two games, which are so important for the team.”
Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s team-mate Kaka is determined to recapture the form that made him the world’s best player in 2007 and get back in manager Jose Mourinho’s good books.
If there’s anyone who should be unhappy at Madrid it’s the injury-prone Brazilian, who was left out of the squad for the Super Cup victory over Barca and has yet to appear in the league this season.
But undeterred, the former Ballon d’Or winner is putting in the hard yards to try and win back the boss’ trust.
“It’s as if I was starting again at 30, after having won everything I’ve won,” he said. “I arrive before the other players, do separate training, practice with the squad.
“The only way I’m going to get another chance is training more than the others and that’s what I’ve been doing.”
