Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal manager, Fernando Santos, has praised the star for refusing to answer questions after receiving a man-of-the-match award following Portugal's 1-0 win over Russia in the Confederations Cup. Ronaldo scored the decisive goal but issued only a 76-word statement before leaving the room, avoiding any discussion of his impending court case for alleged tax evasion.
Santos defended Ronaldo's actions, stating: 'I think he did very well in not answering other questions. He is here to talk about the game full stop, not about his life and his family.' The manager urged journalists to respect the player's privacy, noting that there would be other opportunities for questions.
Ronaldo, who is due in court on July 31 over the tax evasion case, said only that Portugal had 'more opportunities than Russia and we were just winners.' His performance helped put Portugal on the brink of the tournament semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Russia manager Stanislav Cherchesov provided evasive responses to questions about his team's poor display, adding to the night's unusual press conferences. Asked about Ronaldo's goal, he quipped: 'We missed Ronaldo and it wasn't just us, judging by the number of golden balls he's received.'
