"We are used to Ronaldo being in the spotlight"

Portugal international Joao Mario said this weekend's controversial interview with Cristiano Ronaldo, in which he claimed to feel "betrayed" by Manchester United, "does not put more pressure" on the Portuguese national team, who are already training for a friendly against Nigeria on Thursday ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

"It was not the timing. The attention is always on him. It's nothing new for us," Mario told a press conference on Tuesday, before the team's training session at the Cidade do Futebol in Oeiras (on the outskirts of Lisbon).

"The headlines are always about him. I don't see a problem with the timing, because everyone is talking about Ronaldo," added the Benfica player at the journalists' insistence.

He also assured that Cristiano Ronaldo is "always happy" in the Lusitanian national team, "totally focused" on training and "will be a great help" for the World Cup.