Portugal defender Rúben Dias on Friday branded criticism of teammate Cristiano Ronaldo “insignificant” and claimed it has not affected the team’s focus.
Ronaldo couldn’t find the net and failed to have even a shot on target in Portugal’s 1-1 draw with Congo DR in their World Cup opener, where he became the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup game at 41 years and 123 days. o
His performance was widely criticized by pundits and media, with many arguing that he should no longer be starting.
“It’s not an issue for us,” Dias said when asked about criticism of Ronaldo. “It’s insignificant — just a bit of fuss and noise. It’s all part of the game.”
The Al Nassr forward’s three shots against Congo were off target.
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France and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry was among those that derided Ronaldo for selfish play during Portugal’s attacking opportunities.
“One thing that’s important, people, please, at home: The team needs to score, not you need to score,” Henry said.
Dias said criticism of Ronaldo is nothing new and it’s part of the game.
“First and foremost, the criticism isn’t directed at just one player,” the Manchester City center back said. “Cristiano is a major focus of attention, but I think we’re all in the firing line.
“Above all, apart from what I’ve just said, I don’t think anything out of the ordinary is happening. It’s always been like this since I’ve been here. I believe it will continue to be so in the future and, as such, it’s nothing new.
“In the end it’s noise. We isolate ourselves from it and focus on doing our thing.”
Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes against Congo DR, with Portugal coach Roberto Martínez saying after that it made “no sense” to substitute him.
Dias said the criticism has not affected the team, who he says remains united.
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“For all of us, it’s not an issue,” he said. “We’re all united in the realization that difficulties are a good thing and that it’s through difficulties that we’ll see what we’re made of.
“We embrace it as an opportunity to create something positive. My mind doesn’t wander in that direction. I don’t pay attention when it’s thrown at us. I believe none of us attach any importance to it. It shouldn’t even be an issue.”
Social media accounts of several Portugal players, including that of Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha, were overrun with comments from fans demanding respect for Ronaldo and accusing some of his teammates of deliberately not passing the ball to the captain.
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When asked about this, Dias said: “To be honest, I didn’t see much. I didn’t see any of what you’re talking about. There’s a lot of noise, speculation; it’s normal for speculation to triple when the results aren’t the best. But it doesn’t dent our confidence in the slightest.
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“You never want this sort of competition to be perfect; I think the sooner the difficulties come, the better. You only win if the team has the ability to keep improving game after game. I don’t expect perfect scenarios. The most important thing is to keep our feet on the ground.”
Dias, who did not feature against Congo DR because of injury, has recovered and is expected to start against Uzbekistan on Tuesday in Houston.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
