The team held discussions ahead of the tournament to ensure they were equipped to deal with external pressure
Diogo Dalot says Portugal prepared for social media attacks and criticism of the squad and Cristiano Ronaldo before arriving at the World Cup.
The Manchester United defender said discussions were held within the Portugal camp ahead of the tournament to ensure players were equipped to deal with external pressure if results or performances failed to meet expectations.
The comments come after Portugal’s opening 1-1 draw with DR Congo, which prompted heavy criticism of both the team and Ronaldo. On the one hand, pundits have largely criticised Ronaldo for his poor performance, and coach Roberto Martinez for fielding a 41-year-old as the starting striker of a team aiming to win the World Cup.
On the other hand, Ronaldo’s fan boys have been criticising his teammates in the comment sections of every Portugal post for failing to pass him the ball.
Dalot said the squad had anticipated negative reactions and believed those conversations had helped maintain unity following the draw.
“It was almost as if we’d anticipated that this would happen,” Dalot said. “Of course, when you have a squad like this especially with a player like Cristiano we have to be prepared, a little more than usual.”
“The fact that we had that pre-World Cup conversation to prepare ourselves for these moments meant that when it actually happened, we were able to send the message that the group is unshakable. We knew this was going to happen.
“We knew we’d face difficulties and criticism, sometimes unfair, sometimes untrue, and often blown out of proportion.”
Ronaldo was criticised by Thierry Henry, who said he was impeding Portugal’s success as a team to pursue his own individual records. But Dalot said the veteran remains unaffected by outside noise and continues to play an important leadership role within the group.
“Everyone already knows how well Cristiano handles criticism,” Dalot said. “He has over 20 years of experience with the national team.
“I think what he conveys to the team, that confidence, those criticisms are just part of the game, especially given the level at which we’re capable of playing, being in one of the biggest, if not the biggest, competitions in the world.
“The confidence he instils in us, and we in him, has always been the same and always will be.
