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