'I'm back' — Defiant Cristiano Ronaldo fires back at critics as masterclass silences the doubters

<p>Ronaldo shouted "I'm back, I'm back" directly into a television camera after his two-goal display.</p>

<p>"I can say it was a very tough week, a difficult week, a week in which public opinion was very harsh on us, on all the players, especially on the coach," he admitted.</p>

<p>"But it's always like that. It's fine because when you think about it, it's already 23 years I've been a professional, and whenever things don't go well it's, 'Cristiano, he's finished, he's old'. But well, it was a good response from me and my teammates, which is what we wanted."</p>

<p>Ronaldo, the leading goalscorer in men's international history with 145 goals, had been compared unfavourably with the likes of long-time nemesis Lionel Messi and other star forwards such as Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane during the opening days of the tournament.</p>

<p>Put to him that he had finally joined the star-studded party in North America, Ronaldo countered: "I always arrive, even if it's later, but I'm there. So, it's about continuing my work. I truly believe in what I do. My career has always been like this, it wasn't going to change."</p>

<p>He also urged Martínez and his teammates, who are now on the cusp of the round of 32, to completely block out the outside noise.</p>

<p>"Because we know that when we don't play well or don't win we're always attacked, especially me," he said. "But as I said before, I'm already used to it and I carry on."</p>

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<h2><strong>'He's a human being'</strong></h2>

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<p>The Spanish manager Martínez, who has defiantly stuck with Ronaldo regardless of external pressure, said he fully understood the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star's raw emotional reaction at the final whistle.</p>

<p>"He's a human being. I think he's allowed to have emotions, he's allowed to have feelings," Martínez said.</p>

<p>The tactician added that Ronaldo's relentless dedication, drive, and training ethic are precisely why he has managed to extend his elite career well into his forties.</p>

<p>"I've never worked with a player that has got that capacity — that whatever happens today, tomorrow is going to be the hungriest player to improve," he said of the forward, who now plays his club football in Saudi Arabia.</p>

<p>Uzbekistan's coach Fabio Cannavaro, the legendary former defender who lifted the World Cup for Italy in 2006, called Ronaldo "one of the strongest players in the history of football".</p>

<p>"As a defender, you need to be very smart to be close to him," Cannavaro warned. "Because if you give him just one centimetre in the penalty box, you are dead."</p>

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Guardian Sport · Jun 24

Guardian Sport · Jun 24

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