'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has come out in support of teammate Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese expressed his unhappiness towards a section of the Bernabeu crowd who were jeering the team after Los Blancos went 1-2 down to Rayo Vallecano in the initial stages of their La Liga encounter on Sunday.
However, Madrid went on to win the match with a jaw-dropping scoreline of 10-2, after two Rayo players got themselves sent off in the first half. All three forwards of the ‘BBC’ got on the scoresheet with Gareth Bale bagging four goals, Karim Benzema securing a hat-trick and Ronaldo registering two strikes.
The ten-times Champions League winners have received quite a lot of flak from the Madridistas after a string of disappointing performances since the arrival of manager Rafal Benitez.
Meanwhile, Ramos thinks that it is during these tough times that the fans should back the team and defended Ronaldo for the gesture he made towards the fans.
“When the team most needed their support, they booed us. It's at moments like this that we would have appreciated their backing, to spur us on to try to get back into the game,” he said.
“When you're losing 2-1 against Rayo, and with the greatest of respect, it's to be expected that the Santiago Bernabéu will get on your back. There are people out there who will say that with 11 men, they would have gone on to win the game, but I'm going to stick my neck out and say that we still would have won the game”.
“In exactly the same way as the crowd are free to cheer or boo us, the players are also free to have an opinion and show feelings. Cristiano Ronaldo is always honest and shows what he feels”, he added.
We are fully behind Benitez: Ramos
Real Madrid have had an indifferent season thus far as they are placed third on the La Liga table, with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid above them. The Bernabeu faithful have consistently vented out their frustration towards the performances of their team and jeers have been targeted towards manager Rafa Benitez and club President Florentino Perez as well.
The Los Blancos captain, however, backed the manager and reiterated the sentiments of Perez, who thinks Benitez is “the solution, and not the problem”.
“We're fully behind the coach. He gives us his instructions and we go out and try to carry them out,” said the Los Merengues skipper.
“If the president says so (Benitez is not the problem), there must be a reason for it. We're just the labourers, he's the king (Perez),” he added.
