Sports

Jose Mourinho responds when asked if Cristiano Ronaldo is still a top player

Published

6 years ago

September 4, 2018

Cristiano Ronaldo is still awaiting his first goal for Juventus after signing for the Italian giants from Real Madrid in the summer.
The 33-year-old, who completed a £105 million move to Turin following nine hugely successful seasons at the Bernabeu, has now gone three competitive games for Juve without hitting the back of the net.

Ronaldo has come agonisingly close to getting off the mark in the games against Chievo, Lazio and Parma but is still yet to break his duck.

“[Ronaldo] has to deal with different difficulties in Serie A but he had a good game overall,” Massimiliano Allegri was quoted as saying by

ESPN after his side’s 2-1 win over Parma on Saturday. “The international break will make him sharper.

“He’s the world’s best player, he wants to score at all costs but he needs to remain calm and the goals will come in a burst.”

Ronaldo will be hoping that his manager’s words come true, although he could be forgiven if he privately felt slightly anxious about his current situation.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is used to scoring well over 40 goals every season but adjusting to a new league at his age is proving to be a real test for the legendary Portuguese forward.

MOURINHO RESPONDS TO QUESTION ABOUT RONALDO

Because he hasn’t scored in three games, some people believe this is proof that Ronaldo is now past his best – no longer one of the game’s elite players.

One journalist asked Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho whether he believes Ronaldo is still a top player – and his response was pretty perfect.

“Yes, of course,” Mourinho said while walking out of the press conference, before adding: “Unless he doesn’t score in two games, then you will say he isn’t great anymore.”

You can watch the footage here…

It’s fair to assume that, with his answer, the under-fire Mourinho was also referring to the way he believes journalists are currently treating him following United’s poor start to the 2018-19 campaign.

The 55-year-old called for journalists to respect him more following his side’s 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham last week and believes his past achievements deserve more recognition.

Mourinho clearly feels that Ronaldo deserves similar respect for everything that he’s achieved in the game – and still believes his compatriot is one of the world’s best players.

Ronaldo and Mourinho will meet again in October and November when Juve and United go head-to-head twice in the Champions League group stages.