Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo was riled by comments about Barcelona’s forwards and reacted angrily when asked at a news conference on Tuesday about his away goals drought ahead of the Champions League tie at AS Roma.
The Portugal international was asked if Barca’s free-scoring attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar had the edge over Real’s strikers because they get along so well.
“How do we know that [their relationship] is that way? It is only because that is what is written,” he said.
Photo: AP
“I don’t have to go to dinner with [Karim] Benzema, or for [Gareth] Bale to come to my house. What we need is to get on on the field. We don’t have to give each other kisses,” Ronaldo said.
“This thing about the little meals, the little hugs, the little kisses. To me that doesn’t mean anything,” he added.
Ronaldo later walked out of the news conference after sharply replying to a question about his recent lack of away goals on the eve of Real’s last-16, first-leg clash in Rome.
Ronaldo broke the competition’s record for most goals scored in the group stage when he hit 11 earlier this season, and is also the Champions League’s all-time top scorer with 88 goals in 121 appearances.
However, he was unhappy when asked why he had not scored away since Real Madrid’s 2-0 La Liga victory at Sociedad Deportiva Eibar on Nov. 29 last year.
“Who else has scored more goals away from home than me since I arrived in Spain?” Ronaldo said. “Name one player who has scored more than me?”
“No answer? OK. Thank you everyone,” he added, before excusing himself from the news conference.
Ronaldo has netted 32 goals in all competitions so far this season — 21 at home and 11 away.
He has featured in four away games for Real since his goal against Eibar without finding the net, struggling to shine in recent La Liga matches against Real Betis Balompie and Granada.
“It’s understandable that people have doubts,” Ronaldo had said earlier. “It’s like with a son, when you give him everything and then when you take it away, he cries.”
“I hope that I can keep this ‘bad form’ up until the season’s end,” Ronaldo added.
Real coach Zinedine Zidane reaffirmed Ronaldo’s importance to the team this week after the forward scored twice in a 4-2 win over Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday last week.
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