SAINT-ETIENNE: Euro 2016 minnows Iceland hit back at Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo labelling him “not a gracious human being” after he slammed the Atlantic islanders’ defensive tactics in a 1-1 draw in Saint-Etienne.
Ronaldo accused Iceland of having a “small mentality” on Tuesday as they prevented the Real Madrid ace from becoming the first man to score in four European championship finals on their debut at a major international tournament.
“He [Ronaldo] is a fantastic footballer, but he’s not a gracious human being and the thing is we almost nicked the win, so him saying we weren’t going for the win contradicts that,” said Kari Arnason, who was on the receiving end of a four-goal Ronaldo haul in their last meeting when Real smashed his Malmo side 8-0 in December.
And Arnason even claimed the humble attitude of Ronaldo’s perennial rival for the crown of the world’s best player, Lionel Messi, makes him more loveable than Ronaldo.
“Obviously, we’re not going to create as much chances as a fantastic team like Portugal, but his comments are the reason why Messi is always going to be one step ahead of him,” he said.
Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2016