Euro 2016: Andre Gomes sends shockwaves through Portugal camp ahead of semi-final against Wales by admitting superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has under-achieved
ANDRE GOMES caused shockwaves in the Portugal camp by admitting Cristiano Ronaldo has not lived up to his star billing.
It was a flippant comment that betrayed Ronaldo’s harsh reality with Portugal.
But ahead of tomorrow’s Euro semi-final with Wales, it was the last thing Ron wanted to hear.
His team-mate Gomes probably regretted it as soon as he said it.
But he did.
Gomes said: “It’s not a moment to talk about individuals. Cristiano works for the group which is the important thing. We are 23 players.
“He’s scored two goals — probably we were expecting more, it’s true.
“But it’s not the moment to put pressure on a player and place him in doubt, because he has demonstrated his quality and is working for the group and helping in the Euro.”
Err, only that is exactly what Gomes did.
He spoke the words that dare not be spoken in the Portugal camp.
Ronaldo is simply not firing them in. A brace in the 3-3 draw against Hungary in the group stage is all he has to show in this tournament.
He went missing against Austria and Iceland. A no-show against Croatia in the last 16 concluded with a missed sitter that mercifully fell to Ricardo Quaresma for an extra-time winner.
Ron was then outshone and overshadowed by team-mate Renato Sanches in the quarter-final against Poland.
In fact, he missed two glaring chances in normal time and one in extra-time that could have cost his side dear before they advanced on penalties.
Boss Fernando Santos took the unusual step of singling out Ron’s “outstanding performance” against Poland.
It would have been a nice joke but, in fact, it grated as it insulted the intelligence of everyone in the press conference lounge of Marseille’s Velodrome.
Cynics might argue it was Santos’ meek attempt to suck up to his superstar.
Not that Ronaldo has an ego the size of Wales, of course. Not at all, it’s more like the size of Russia and Australia combined.
It is true that in Portugal they walk around eggshells when it comes to Ronaldo.
They have done for years. And that is probably why he flopped at the World Cup and has so far had an indifferent tournament.
His last truly great performance came against in a World Cup play-off against Sweden in Stockholm when his hat-trick saw Portugal through.
Since then, very little.
A seasoned Portugal observer said: “Listen, Portugal is not Real Madrid.
“There is no Bale, no Karim Benzema, no Marcello, no Toni Kroos or Luka Modric. And here in the Euro they are facing better teams than most La Liga clubs.”
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It was a lame defence, as Ronaldo missing glaring chances has been a regular occurrence in this tournament.
And Welsh boss Chris Coleman will be hoping for more of the same from Ron in Lyon.
As for Ronaldo’s Madrid team-mate Gareth Bale, Gomes was adamant he is not the only thing Portugal must be wary of.
He added: “We are conscious that Bale is very important for his country, as Ronaldo is for us.
“But I don’t think we will pay special attention to him, rather we will be focused on all their players.
“ We are prepared for the best Wales have to offer and we have our weapons to combat them.”
