Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed his commitment to Real Madrid after declaring himself 'sad' in the Spanish capital.
The Portuguese forward refused to celebrate the two goals he scored in a 3-0 victory over Granada and revealed his unhappiness in the post-match press conference. The Spanish media suggested that the 27-year-old, who has scored 150 goals in 149 matches for Real, was eager to leave the Santiago Bernabeu.
But tonight Ronaldo, linked with a move to Paris St Germain, took to Twitter to reassure his fans that, despite his apparent malaise, he remains fully committed to the Spanish champions' cause. He tweeted: "That I am feeling sad and have expressed this sadness has created a huge stir."
He continued: "I am accused of wanting more money, but one day it will be shown that this is not the case. At this point, I just want to guarantee to the Real Madrid fans that my motivation, dedication, commitment and desire to win all competitions will not be affected.
"I have too much respect for myself and for Real Madrid to ever give less to the club than all I am capable of. Abrazos (hugs) to all madridistas."
On Tuesday morning PSG were quick to distance themselves from the possibility of a move for the Portugal international. Sporting director Leonardo has overseen a major recruitment drive at the ambitious Ligue 1 club, attracting Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva to the Parc Des Princes this summer.
But he told radio station RMC: "Ibrahimovic is the best striker in the world. So why hire Ronaldo? Zlatan is unique. When we talk about the best players, there is Ronaldo and Messi - but they are not strikers. The best striker, that's Zlatan."
Ronaldo's capital club team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa moved to assure the striker that he had the full backing of the squad. The Spanish defender told Marca: "He just needs more affection from everybody, I don't know, that's all we can give him.
"Everybody has the right to be sad, he's a person just like anyone else. He doesn't share the problems of most Spanish people but it's perfectly reasonable that he can be sad. When Cristiano says (that he's sad) then perhaps it makes more of an impression. We're all going to help him because he is our friend.
"I hope the fans haven't taken his words the wrong way. The media have great power and people are influenced by what they hear and read. He knows that he's with the best team and hopefully he'll stay here until he retires. And if the fans keep believing in him, he'll be remembered as a club icon. We will help him."
Source: PA
