Carlo Ancelotti breaks silence in defence of Cristiano Ronaldo

• Carlo Ancelotti speaks out in defence of Cristiano Ronaldo.

In response to ongoing criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo’s demeanour, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has come to his player’s defence.

The 37-year-old, who agreed to a mutual leave from Manchester United in November as a result of growing tension between himself and manager Erik ten Hag, is presently competing in the World Cup as a free agent.

Ronaldo’s behavioural issues have received astounding media attention recently; this season, he has left United during games twice, and as a response, Ten Hag has dropped him twice.

In what is anticipated to be his final World Cup, the same problems appear to have followed him to the Portugal camp.

After being replaced in his country’s 2-1 loss to South Korea, Ronaldo started on the bench in their 6-1 rout of Switzerland. He played for around 20 minutes while having to watch his replacement, Goncalo Ramos, score three goals.

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The Portuguese Football Federation released a statement in December denying reports in Portugal that Ronaldo had threatened to walk out on Fernando Santos and the team in Qatar.

Amid the drama, Ancelotti, who managed Ronaldo for two seasons, offered a defence to Corriere dello Sport: “Ronaldo probably still feels in his 20s because he’s fine, he’s got the answers he’s looking for in his body.

“The competition has become tough,” he added: “I’ve coached him for two years and there were no problems. In fact he solved them for me.

“Cristiano trains well, he pays attention to detail, everything was easy for me to manage. He is an exceptional player.”

Ronaldo himself released a statement addressing the reports after Portugal did so, talking up the unity among Santos’ squad.

It is unclear if the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would be given a starting spot for Portugal’s World Cup quarterfinal match against Morocco on December 10 given the team’s outstanding last 16 performance without him.