photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com
By BRYAN ROBISON
After becoming the tenth player in Real Madrid history to score 150 goals with the club, Cristiano Ronaldo seemed to show a lack of enthusiasm, and admitted as much after the match that he refused to celebrate the milestone. The Portuguese star spoke with reporters following the 3-0 win over Granada, and voiced his displeasure with his current status with the club.
"I am sad, and the club knows why. That is why I did not celebrate the goals," he said to reporters. "I am not happy. The people [at Real Madrid] know why."
This comes just days after Barcelona's Andres Iniesta won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award at the Champions League draw in Monaco. A finalist along with Iniesta and Iniesta's Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi, Ronaldo seemed visibly upset on stage after failing to win.
But Ronaldo made sure it be known that his displeasure is not for that reasoning, stating "It's nothing to do with Iniesta. I won't talk about this any more and I will concentrate on Portugal for now. There are more important things."
"If I won I would not have been surprised, if I lost I would have not been surprised," he added. "I am fine about that. Iniesta won, and he deserved it."
Ronaldo's current contract runs through the 2014-2015 season. But having seen teammates Angel di Maria, Alvaro Arbeola, and Raul Albiol recently sign contract extensions, along with manager Jose Mourinho, a contract dispute could very well be the cause of Ronaldo's issues with the club.
Teammate Kaka recently spoke with reporters, stating the team is standing behind its star.
"Cristiano is a key player for Real Madrid, and he knows that he has the full support of the team," said Kaka. "The most important thing is that he is feeling well and is happy because he is very important for us. We will all support him."
For now, Ronaldo mentions that he will place his focus on the upcoming World Cup qualifiers for his home country of Portugal, who are slated to take on Luxembourg on Friday, and Azerbaijan next Tuesday.
Real Madrid returns to action on Saturday, September 15th at Sevilla.
—————–
What are your thoughts on Ronaldo's comments? Do you see him possibly asking his way out of Madrid? Think it's just a ploy for him to get a new contract?
Share your thoughts below.