Schalke boss Roberto Di Matteo has leapt to the defence of under-fire Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo. “He’s only human and can’t always be at his best.”
The Portuguese has struggled to live up to his lofty standards since the turn of the year, failing to score in any of his last three matches, while he was heavily criticised for his decision to go ahead with his 30th birthday party in wake of Los Blancos’ 4-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid.
Ronaldo has also endured a public breakup with long-term girlfriend Irina Shayk, and Di Matteo believes his side’s upcoming adversary has been unfairly vilified by the scrutinous eye of the media.
“All my players are ready to participate in the final training session [before the match],” the Coach said at a Press conference ahead of Schalke’s Champions League last-16 first leg against Madrid on Wednesday.
“We’ll play with a winning mentality. We’ll seek victory knowing that we’ll face a big rival.
“Madrid are favourites [to win] both legs. We’re an experienced team and we have to prove it on the pitch.
“We have the same opinion [on Ronaldo] as everyone else.
“He’s won the Ballon d’Or several times and is a player capable of winning a match by himself. We’ll try to block him as a team.
“He’s only human and can’t always be at his best, but he’s a great player with great qualities. He’s a player who can decide a game.
“We’ve all seen what’s happened [to Madrid] in recent games, but it motivates us to keep working hard.
“They’re still a very competitive team, and we’ll try to exploit these little imperfections.”
