Portugal playmaker Bruno Fernandes has pleaded with the public to continue criticising Cristiano Ronaldo after the iconic marksman scored in their 3-2 victory over Ghana on Thursday.
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Portugal's captain opened the scoring for the Iberian nation in their victory over the Black Stars as the European giants got their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign off to a winning start.
Having mutually agreed to terminate his contract with Manchester United earlier this week, Ronaldo went into the clash against Otto Addo's men with plenty of controversy surrounding him.
The football icon was able to slot the ball past Lawrence Ati-Zigi from the penalty spot in the 65th minute, though, and make history by becoming the first men's player to ever score at five different World Cup tournaments.
When discussing the 37-year-old's impact after the game, his former club teammate Bruno Fernandes made an emphatic statement about the under-fire attacker.
"I think Cristiano likes to work under criticism from everyone," Fernandes told members of the media, as per Goal.
"I pray for all of you to keep doing that because it gets the best of himself when you guys do that."
The international stage will now be the only place Fernandes and Ronaldo share a dressing room after the latter's time at Old Trafford came to an acrimonious end earlier this week following a bombshell interview with British reporter Piers Morgan.
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While his club future remains up in the air, Ronaldo's sole focus right now is winning the World Cup, with reports suggesting he will decide on his next club once the tournament has concluded.
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