Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most popular people on the face of the planet. The Portuguese boast a huge fan following worldwide gained during his glorious soccer career. But alongside fans, Ronaldo has also gained some haters as well as people who would want to stop him by going to every last resort.
One such person revealed his intentions of stopping Ronaldo and it is none other than Iceland’s Head Coach, Age Hareide. The Norwegian recently talked about his plans regarding Ronaldo ahead of the game against Portugal and insisted that they would want to bruise the Portuguese.
He said: “We have to give Ronaldo some bruises during the game.”
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Iceland coach:
“We have to give Ronaldo some bruises during the game.”
Threat of Iceland coach?
Cristiano: I’m used to it, there are scars on my legs & face from the defenders’ interventions, I’m ready for anything, the most important thing is to show that we’re better.” pic.twitter.com/cEU4bf3doi
— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) June 19, 2023
Ronaldo didn’t hold back against the comments made by Iceland’s Head Coach. The Portuguese stated that he has faced such mentalities before and as a result has scars all over his legs and face. He showcased his fearless attitude as he mentioned that all he cares about is being on the winning side at the end of the day.
Ronaldo said, “I’m used to it, there are scars on my legs & face from the defenders’ interventions, I’m ready for anything, the most important thing is to show that we’re better.”
Portugal will face Iceland on June 21st, 2023 in their UEFA Euro qualifier match. This isn’t the first time that Ronaldo has been involved in an off-the-pitch spat with the Iceland team. The 5-time Ballon d’Or winner had previously made some negative comments against the Iceland soccer team.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s previous attack on Iceland
Ronaldo had previously attacked the Iceland soccer team for their tactics. This was during Euro 2016, when Portugal faced the Scandinavian country in the Group Stage match. The Iceland team gained huge popularity as they progressed to the quarterfinal stage, defeating some heavyweight teams along the way.
So Ronaldo criticises Iceland for their tactics. If Portugal are so good, why were they not able to break them down?
— Nevesdontdotapins 🇺🇦🐺 (@Dingletilidie) June 15, 2016
The Nordic nation impressed one and all during the journey as they downed tournament favorites, England, in the Round of 16. But they failed to impress Ronaldo who was furious after Iceland drew 1-1 with Portugal. Ronaldo questioned the tactics of Iceland as he accused his opponents of having a ‘small mentality’.
He said: “It was unbelievable, we tried hard to win the game and Iceland didn’t try anything. This, in my opinion, shows a small mentality and they are not going to do anything in the competition.”
Ronaldo received huge criticism for his comments on the emerging soccer team. But it seems like Iceland hasn’t forgotten his comments from 8 years back and would be looking to give them back. It would be interesting to see how things unfold given the history of bad blood between the two.