Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent spat with Real Madrid has seen him find a surprising ally in former Barcelona President Joan Laporta.
The Portuguese star indicated after the 3-0 victory over Granada last week that he was ‘sad’ at the club, while his words set the alarming bells ringing in the corridors of power at the Santiago Bernabeu reports he is now set to be offered a contract for life.
Nonetheless, Laporta maintained in declarations to NacioDigital.cat that he can understand Ronaldo’s frustration with some things.
“He has a lot of people around him so I don’t know why he is sad, although everyone is on top of him,” said Laporta.
“I understand he is a guy who is under a lot of pressure and that he is human, and we are all affected by things that surround us.
“It has happened to me at times when you say something you believe is the truth and you see the repercussions it has, yet if he said those things then it is because of how he feels.
“Cristiano is a great professional and Madrid will do everything to make him happy again and will find the best solution possible.
“Yet he clearly lives under a lot of pressure and that’s not easy. It’s very hard to say something that comes from within then it has a brutal impact.
“He made that statement because that’s what he felt and wanted to comment on something that had nothing to do with his status as a professional.”
Laporta – Barca President from 2003 to 2010 – was speaking on Catalonian National Day and even had good words to say about Madrid boss Jose Mourinho.
“Mourinho is a great professional and I think he did right in rectifying what happened with Tito [Vilanova].
“It pleased me greatly because I think he is a great professional, so I congratulate him for having turned the page and moved on.”
