Manchester United hero Cristiano Ronaldo has responded to criticism from former Juventus teammates Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, claiming he “wins everything”
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Cristiano Ronaldo has hit back at criticism from his old Juventus teammates, insisting he’s still going to “close mouths and win things”.
Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci have both taken swipes at the Manchester United legend in recent days after he left Turin on deadline day.
Ahead of United’s crucial Premier League game against Liverpool, Ronaldo discussed the team’s poor start to the season with Sky Sports.
The Red Devils are currently sixth in the Premier League after picking up just one point from their last three fixtures, already eight points behind leaders Chelsea.
Some critics believe Ronaldo is having a negative impact on the team, forcing them to compensate for the 36-year-old’s lack of energy up front.
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But Portugal’s captain insisted: “I know when the team needs my help defensively. But my role in the club is to win, help the team to win and to score goals – it’s part of my job.
“The people who don’t want to see that is because they don’t like me.”
Speaking in September, Bonucci claimed Ronaldo hampered Juventus’ spirit during his three-year spell at the club.
The Real Madrid icon was signed by the Italian giants in the summer of 2018 to help them win their first Champions League title since 1996.
But instead of getting over the European line, Juventus regressed and lost their Serie A crown to rivals Inter Milan last term.
Bonucci said: “Last year the team played for him, now the group must rediscover that Juve spirit that was there before his arrival.
“This was the thing, the idea that one player, even the best in the world, could guarantee Juventus victory.
“Cristiano’s presence had a big influence on us. Just training with him gave us something extra but subconsciously players started to think his presence alone was enough to win games.
“We began to fall a little short in our daily work, the humility, the sacrifice, the desire to be there for your team-mate day after day. Over the last few years, I think you could see that.”
And speaking earlier this week, Chiellini slammed Ronaldo for leaving Juventus at the last minute and not giving his former employers time to replace him.
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The defender said: “Ronaldo left on August 28 and it certainly would’ve been better if he had gone earlier so we could prepare. Unfortunately, we paid a price for that.
“It does create a shock to the system and we lost points in the opening games because of that.
“If he’d left on August 1, then we would’ve had time to reorganise and be ready for the start of the season.”
Ronaldo, however, isn’t concerned by his critics, adding: “To be honest, I’m 36. I win everything, so am I going to be worried about the people who say bad things about me?
“I sleep good at night. I go to my bed with my conscience very good. Keep going with that because I will still close mouths and win things.
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“Criticism is always part of the business. I’m not worried about that.
“And I see it as a good thing to be honest. If they worry about me or they speak about me, it’s because they know my potential and value in football still.
“So it’s good. I’ll give you an example: if you’re in a school and you’re the best student, you ask the worst student if he likes the best, they’ll say they don’t like him.”
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