rafaela

🚨Bernardo Silva on his altercation with Bruno Fernandes after Portugal’s 4-1 defeat to Denmark: 🗣️ “After the final whistle, I was angry. Not because we lost. Because of the way we lost. And when I walked towards Bruno, I wasn’t going there to have a friendly conversation. I said to him, ‘Bruno, this is what you wanted, isn’t it?’ He looked at me and said, ‘What are you talking about?’ I said, ‘Cristiano is gone. You wanted this. You wanted the team to move forward without him. You wanted the younger players to take responsibility.’ ‘So where is that responsibility now?’ He didn’t answer immediately. I told him, ‘You were one of the people pushing for this new Portugal. Fine. Cristiano stepped away. Now we are losing 4-1 to Denmark and everybody is looking around for someone to save us.’ That made him angry. He said, ‘Don’t put this on me.’ I said, ‘Why not?’ Then things became heated. Because I’m the captain. I’m not injured. I’m not unfit. Nobody has told me I’m incapable of playing. But somehow, suddenly, at Portugal, I’m second best. I’m supposed to start on the bench and watch my teammates get destroyed for most of the game. I don’t understand how a captain starts a match on the bench, watches his team concede four goals and then gets told to come on when everything is already finished. What exactly was I supposed to do? Come on at 4-0 and save Portugal? I came on. I scored one. But one goal isn’t enough. Not against Denmark. Not when you’re already 4-0 down. I told Bruno, ‘You wanted responsibility to be shared. Fine. But when the responsibility arrived, where were you?’ He said, ‘I was trying to help the team.’ I said, ‘Then help us before the game is dead.’ He didn’t like that. He pushed me. I pushed him back. At that point, it wasn’t even about football anymore. It was about frustration. Because we had just suffered the biggest defeat in Portugal’s history. And I’m standing there thinking about everything that has been said over the last few months. Cristiano is too old. Cristiano needs to step aside. Portugal needs a new generation. Portugal needs new leaders. Fine. But leadership isn’t something you inherit because Cristiano leaves. You have to earn it. And tonight, nobody earned it. Not me. Not Bruno. Not anybody. I told Bruno, ‘You cannot celebrate the end of one era and then complain when nobody knows how to carry the responsibility that came with it.’ He said, ‘Don’t blame me for Cristiano leaving.’ I said, ‘I’m not blaming you for him leaving. I’m blaming you for acting like Portugal would automatically become better without him.’ That’s the difference. Cristiano isn’t here anymore. So there are no excuses. Nobody can say, ‘Give the ball to Cristiano.’ Nobody can wait for him to produce a moment. Nobody can hide behind his reputation. This is our team now. Our responsibility. And against Denmark, we failed. I came on when we were losing 4-0 and managed to pull one goal back. But what does that prove? Nothing. One goal doesn’t erase four. One goal doesn’t change the result. One goal doesn’t suddenly make the performance acceptable. So yes, I was angry with Bruno. And I was angry with myself. Because I’m the captain. If I’m supposed to lead this team, I have to ask myself why I wasn’t on that pitch from the beginning. I don’t want to sit on the bench while Portugal falls apart and then be handed the responsibility when the damage is already done. If I’m fit, I play. If I’m captain, I lead. And if Portugal wants this new generation to succeed without Cristiano Ronaldo, then everyone has to understand one thing. You don’t get to push the old leader out and then discover that leadership is difficult. You asked for this responsibility. Now carry it.”

Todos os jogadores da Seleção Nacional vão entrar em campo com a camisola 7 este sábado, em homenagem a Ronaldo.