Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal’s captain, exited the pitch irritated and engaged in a verbal heated exchange with a South Korean player in Portugal’s final group game on Friday evening.
“The Korean player asked me to go faster. Then I told him to be calm because he had no authority,” said Ronaldo after the 2-1 defeat to the Asian giants.
Ronaldo was replaced in the 65th minute after a poor performance. After an alleged provocation by the opponent, the 37-year-old trotted slowly towards the bench, holding his index finger in front of his mouth, among other things.
“If I don’t go fast enough, that’s up to the referee to say,” said Ronaldo.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos also downplayed speculation that Ronaldo was upset by the substitution.
“He was angry with the Korean opponent, everyone saw it. The player insulted him and told him to go away,” said the 68-year-old.
