Ronaldo is an ‘exceptional player’, says Ancelotti

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has sprung to the defence of Cristiano Ronaldo by highlighting his professionalism during his time at the Spanish club, after the forward lost his place in Portugal’s World Cup starting line-up.

Portugal’s most-capped player and all-time top scorer came off the bench late in their 6-1 win over Switzerland in the last 16, having been dropped from the starting side after an outburst following his substitution against South Korea.

“I’ve coached him (Ronaldo) for two years and there were no problems. In fact he solved them for me. Cristiano trains well, he pays attention to detail, everything was easy for me to manage. He is an exceptional player,” said Ancelotti.