Cristiano Ronaldo was left fuming with Diogo Jota after the Liverpool forward failed to pass him the ball during an incident in the first-half of Portugal’s clash against Hungary in Budapest.
The Portuguese kicked off their Euro 2020 campaign looking to get off to a strong start in a ‘Group of Death’, which also contains two of the favourites to win the tournament in Germany and France.
But they had to do so in front of a passionate home crowd, with the powers-that-be in Budapest permitting a full house of 61,000 spectators inside the Puskas Arena due to the country’s low current rates of coronavirus.
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Portugal got off to a strong start to the Group F encounter, and dominated possession in the early stages.
And they had the game’s first big chance as Jota ran onto a through ball and got a powerful shot away from just outside the box, which Hungary goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi was able to tip away for a corner.
However, replays showed that while Jota was surrounded by three Hungary defenders, Ronaldo had made a bursting run to his left, and was in acres of space when his teammate opted to pull the trigger.
And the Juventus star reacted furiously to Jota’s reluctance to pass, gesturing angrily and jumping up and down in frustration.
Ronaldo is bidding to become the first player in history to score in five different Euros finals, and so it is perhaps no wonder that he was so angry with Jota, as he would have had the goal at his mercy with the right pass.
But he had no one to blame but himself as he blazed a glorious chance over from just yards out right at the end of the first-half.
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Meanwhile, Ronaldo made headlines before the game against Hungary had even kicked off after he pushed away two bottles of Coca-Cola ahead of a press conference before saying: “Drink water”.
It was a move that has prompted praise from anti-obesity campaigners, helping to highlight the negative impact of junk food sponsoring sporting events.
Caroline Cerny, Alliance Lead at Obesity Health Alliance told the Telegraph: “It’s great to see a role model like Cristiano Ronaldo reject Coca Cola for water, setting a positive example for young fans and showing his disdain for a cynical marketing attempt to link him with a sugary drink.”
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But his staunch refusal of sugary drinks has even transcended into his home life, with his eldest son Cristiano Ronaldo Jr, leaving him fuming when he has a swig.
Speaking last year on his son’s ambitions to follow in his footsteps, he said: “I’m hard with him sometimes because he drinks Coca-Cola and Fanta sometimes and I’m p***** with him.
“I fight with him when he eats chips and fries and everything, he knows I don’t like it.
“Even my small kids, when they eat chocolate they always look to me and, you know, we have to be strong.
“But to be honest he has potential, he is a big boy, he’s fast and he’s driven well. But this nothing, I tell him every time, it takes a lot of dedication, a lot of hard work.”
