Ronaldo begins World Cup prep amid Madrid doubts
SURROUNDED by doubts about his future at Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo is bringing some unwanted distraction to Portugal ahead of the World Cup.
Ronaldo joined Portugal's squad on Monday, with just about everyone wondering what he will say about his situation with Real Madrid.
For the second straight year, Ronaldo linking with the national team is being marred by talks about his club. The same thing happened before the Confederations Cup, when a Portuguese daily published a report saying Ronaldo wanted to leave Real Madrid after being accused of tax fraud in Spain.
This time, it was Ronaldo himself who raised doubts about his future, saying moments after the Champions League final that it "was very beautiful" to have played with the Spanish club.
Ronaldo said he would reveal his future plans when he joined the national team, and that time has arrived, putting the spotlight on the star forward and not so much on Portugal's World Cup preparations.
Ronaldo practiced on Monday but didn't speak to the media.
"He is very strong mentally," Portugal midfielder Joao Moutinho said. "This is not going to affect any of our players. We are all focused on what we need to do here with the national team. It's the only thing that matters."
Ronaldo joined Portugal later than the other players because of the Champions League final.
The defending European champions have already played two World Cup warmup matches, drawing with Tunisia 2-2 and with Belgium 0-0.