Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho Bust Up: Real Madrid Striker Says Grudges Are 'For Losers' [VIDEO, NEWS]
Cristiano Ronaldo and his former Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho have downplayed their alleged feud.
Talk of a rift between the Portuguese striker and his ex-coach first surfaced during Mourinho's interview with ESPNFC on Aug. 3. The Chelsea F.C. manager said he has only coached one "real" Ronaldo: Brazil's 2002 World Cup-winning centre-forward. When asked about Murinho's comments, Ronaldo referenced a Portuguese proverb.
"There are things in life which do not deserve comments," he told ESPN Deportes at Madrid's pre-season training camp in Los Angeles on Sunday. "That is something I am not going to talk about for obvious reasons. I always respect my coaches and set out to learn from them. In Portugal, people say: 'I do not spit in the meal I am eating.' So that. I prefer to stick to positive things."
Ronaldo would get the ultimate revenge by scoring two goals against Murinho's Chelsea team in a 3-1 victory for Madrid in Miami on Sunday. Reports claimed the 28-year-old striker celebrated his first goal by making a gesture towards his former coach on the sideline, but Ronaldo denied the claim.
"I looked at the bench of my own team, at my teammates [after scoring]," he said after the game. "I did not acknowledge Mourinho [afterwards] because I did not see him, but I was with all the Chelsea technical staff. I do not hold a grudge. That is for losers."
In the post-game press conference, Mourinho also diffused any potential tension with Ronaldo by stepping back from the comments he made to ESPNFC and saying the feud was manufactured by Madrid.
"It's not my show. I said the true Ronaldo because he [Brazilian native, Ronaldo] was the first. If you ask me who is the true Mueller, Thomas or Gerd, I will say Gerd. For me he is the first because he came first. This is a show that Madrid has put together, Madrid is the city of movies."