What’s the story?
Real Madrid suffered a surprising 2-1 loss against Valencia and Cristiano Ronaldo was caught on camera berating one of his Real Madrid teammates immediately after the match.
Spanish channel Cuatro captured the Portuguese star mouthing off to one of his team-mates saying: “I scored a goal, what did you do?”. However, the footage was not clear enough to find out which team-mate the jibe was aimed at.
In case you didn’t know...
La Liga leaders Real Madrid were widely expected to extend their lead on top of the League table with a win over relegation-threatened Valencia. However, two quickfire first-half goals from Simeone Zaza and Fabian Orellana left Real Madrid 2 goals down within the first 10 minutes.
Cristiano Ronaldo headed Real back into contention just before halftime, but the visitors were unable to build on their momentum after the break. This is also the second time Ronaldo has been caught making some questionable comments in the tunnel after he was earlier caught mocking former Real Madrid goalkeeper Diego Lopez’s hairstyle.
Also read: Zidane blasts Real Madrid for slow start in loss against Valencia
The heart of the matter
Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the best players on the pitch against Valencia and he was a constant threat to Los Che even grabbing a goal late in the first half. However, many of his team-mates did not show the same commitment and passion and the Portuguese superstar was not happy with their efforts.
The loss against Valencia has opened up the La Liga title race again with Barcelona and even Sevilla looking to take advantage of Real Madrid’s uncharacteristic slip up against Valencia.
What’s next?
Real remain top on 52 points, one ahead of nearest challengers Barcelona and three clear of Sevilla in third, and still have one game in hand on both of their title rivals. However, Zidane will be hoping that Real Madrid learn from their mistakes and bounce back immediately in the match against Villarreal this weekend.
Sportskeeda’a take
Cristiano Ronaldo has evolved to become a true leader in the Real Madrid dressing room, but these outbursts might do more harm than good for the team’s unity and harmony. It will be prudent if Zidane has a word with his star man and asks him to tone down his frustration against his Madrid team-mates.
Also read: 5 records Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo can realistically break before they retire
