The seemingly frosty greeting between Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes has been played down by Portugal team-mate Joao Mario.
Fernandes’ arrival at Portugal training ahead of Qatar 2022 has resulted in the video going viral on social media following his interaction with Manchester United team-mate Ronaldo.
After Ronaldo said he felt “betrayed” by United, one soundbite from a string of scathing attacks on the club and former team-mates, Fernandes appeared to give the Portugal captain a cold response when they met in the dressing room.
Fernandes initially did not see Ronaldo offering out his hand, and after a quick handshake the former moved on to greet other players.
Initially, it was perceived Fernandes’ reaction was in response to Ronaldo’s interview with Piers Morgan, but Mario insists the pair were sharing a joke.
“It was a joke between them because Bruno was one of the last to arrive and Cristiano asked if he had come by boat. It was a joke between them, they play together,” Mario said.
This was backed up by the Athletic, who claim sources close to Fernandes insist the interaction was based on the player’s flight arriving late.
Portugal are training at home before heading to Qatar. They face Ghana first in Group H on November 24, and then face Uruguay on November 28 and South Korea on December 2.
Both Fernandes and Ronaldo are expected to be key in Portugal’s bid to win a first World Cup.
But whether Ronaldo’s recent interview has a bearing on their relationship remains to be seen.
Ronaldo did not hold back in his interview, and in the most recent extract released by TalkTV he claims United’s hierarchy doubted him over his daughter’s illness when he did not attend pre-season.
“I spoke with the director and the president of Man Utd and they kind of didn’t believe that something was going wrong, which made me feel bad,” Ronaldo said.
He also criticised the owners of United, the Glazer family.
“The owners of the club – the Glazers – they don’t care about the club. I mean professional sport. Manchester United is a marketing club, they get their money from the marketing,” he added.
“The sports, they don’t really care in my opinion.”
