Cristiano Ronaldo Vows 'Total Focus' on World Cup 2022 After Portugal Controversy

Cristiano Ronaldo showed his passion for Portugal on Tuesday by sending a battle cry ahead of their crucial showdown in the World Cup 2022 qualifiers.

Portugal will face Turkey on Thursday, one of the teams they have to knock out before securing a qualification.

Ahead of Portugal's match against Turkey, Ronaldo took to Instagram to announce that he has a "total focus on World Cup 2022." He also accompanied his statement with a slideshow of photos of himself playing on the football field.

"We know the road won't be easy, we have the utmost respect for the opponents we will face and who share the same goals as us," Ronaldo said in his IG post, adding that his team will fight put Portugal in its "rightful place," per Mirror,

The striker also noted that he is always proud to represent Portugal.

According to ClutchPoints, the winner of the Portugal-Turkey match will face the team who will win in the Italy-North Macedonia showdown.

Ronaldo and his team are set to face Turkey's national football team in Porto, Portugal.

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World Cup 2022: Portugal Manager Says 'We Need to Win' Ahead Match Against Turkey

On Tuesday, Portugal Manager Fernando Santos told Sky News that winning is everything that matters for them in World Cup 2022.

Santos underscored that winning the matches to qualify for the World Cup is the most "important" challenge for him as the manager of Portugal's football team.

"We must be in the World Cup for our people. The tickets were sold out in minutes more than a month ago. Our fans will be a major factor and we can't let them down," Santos explained.

However, winning will be a challenge for Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal because the team will have to play without several senior team members, per Mirror.

According to reports, Joao Concelo and Renato Sanches will miss the Turkey match following their suspension. Furthermore, they were also added to the list of absentees by another four-high profile names in the team.

ClutchPoints noted that Ruben and Nelson Semedo are still recovering from injuries. Meanwhile, their veteran defender Pepe is also out for their upcoming match after testing positive for COVID-19.

Portugal Controversy: Cristiano Ronaldo Mad About Team's Loss Against Serbia

Ronaldo's battle cry came after he was caught in a controversy following Portugal's match against Serbia last year.

It can be recalled that Portugal was knocked out by Serbia in the top spot of Group A--losing their automatic qualification for the World Cup 2022 in the process.

However, Santos told in a TVI interview that Ronaldo became emotional after the loss and that he made the players feel his "wrath," according to Express.

"I went to the field to support and comfort the players, he [Ronaldo] was telling a Serbian player: 'You wouldn't be laughing if the goal I scored there hadn't been canceled out,'" Santos said.

The Portugal manager then noted that he asked Ronaldo to "take it easy," adding that the disappointment after the game was brutal.

On Tuesday, Santos expressed that their team was "very upset" about their loss with Serbia, but they are taking what is positive and winning once again.

"Talent wins games, but a team wins championships. Players know that and they are in the right mindset," Santos said about the Portugal football team, per Sky Sports.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

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