"A man there can do anything" - Brazil's Rodrygo suggests he's a 'little afraid' of Portugal due to Cristiano Ronaldo's presence

Real Madrid and Brazil winger Rodrygo has admitted that he is hoping to avoid playing against Portugal at the Qatar World Cup later this year due to the impact Cristiano Ronaldo can have on games.

The 21-year-old enjoyed a breakout campaign at the Bernabeu in the 2021-22 season. He scored nine times and provided 10 assists in 49 appearances, including two strikes in injury-time in the second leg of the dramatic Champions League semi-final tie against Manchester City.

The forward has five Brazil caps and will want to make Tite's squad for this year's World Cup. However, he faces plenty of competition for a spot in the South American giants' front three.

The five-time champions have been drawn in a group with Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon, with a potential tie against Portugal in the next round if they progress.

Rodrygo admits that while he sees his side are among the favourites, he is 'a little afraid' of Ronaldo's side, as he told UOL Sport:

"I see Brazil very well and among the favourites, regardless of whether we see the other teams, play against them and such, I see us very well. I see France very well, I'm a little afraid of Portugal. A man there (Cristiano Ronaldo) can do anything, right? Help me there, Caio. No Argentina, I can't give morals to the guys there."

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Rodrygo claims Brazilians rib Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema ahead of FIFA World Cup

Brazil are aiming to become the first non-European winners of international football's biggest tournament since they themselves won the cup in 2002.

There is plenty of pressure on Tite's side to claim their sixth world title. However, Rodrygo claims that his Brazil teammates at Madrid such as Eder Militao and Vinicius Junior have joked with Benzema over the Qatar competition.

Rodrygo stated:

"There's this talk in the national team, yes. We always talk about it, who we can get in the Cup, who the opponents will be and such, we always talk about the World Cup, the opponents and such."

"We even joked with the Benzema, we say we're going to catch him and eliminate him, but then he jokes that Militão will give him a penalty and stuff, we always joke. We always talk about the World Cup, draw and opponents, yes, in the national team and even in the club."

France are the defending champions and one of the favourites once again for this year's showpiece despite recently suffering a severe dip in form.