CRISTIANO RONALDO ENTERS THE WORLD CUP UNDER A CLOUD OF CONTROVERSY, BUT RUBEN NEVES BELIEVES HE WILL SHINE.

Portugal's captain Ruben Neves insists the recent hysteria surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo has not affected them. As long as Portugal meets expectations as a team, Cristiano Ronaldo will be "phenomenal" at the World Cup, according to Ruben Neves, Ronaldo's teammate. In men's international football, Ronaldo leads all time with 117 goals. An apparent tense handshake between Ronaldo and his Manchester United and Portugal team-mate Bruno Fernandes was captured on video last week. Despite this, Neves downplayed reports of tension within the team.

After taking part in an astonishing interview with journalist Piers Morgan, Ronaldo has been the center of a media storm over the past week. Ronaldo was harshly critical of Manchester United during the one-on-one interview, attacking the board, the young players, and the manager, Erik ten Hag. Despite not disclosing what punishment Ronaldo has received, United confirmed that they have dealt with the matter on Thursday.

After missing Portugal's pre-World Cup friendly against Nigeria on Thursday due to illness, he returned to training two days later. Neves insists Portugal - and Ronaldo - are looking good ahead of their World Cup opener against Ghana on Thursday despite the hysteria surrounding the 37-year-old. According to Neves, the player appears to be in good physical condition, based on what he has seen in training.

"Ronaldo's interview isn't something that concerns us. We know very well that we must work hard to highlight individuals. Considering that Ronaldo joined the Portuguese team following the controversial interview, the video of him greeting his United colleague Bruno Fernandes was interpreted as suggesting some hostility on the part of the latter. It was discovered that the clip was taken from a longer video released by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), with Fernandes claiming they were misinterpreted. In agreement with this assertion, Neves dismissed the notion that controversy had entered the dressing room.

“These controversies are more commonly discussed outside of the locker room and on social media, since they don't exist inside the locker room." "It's been said." We are 100 percent focused on the World Cup. The team has been in great form, and we are focused on that." Neves, 25, has been linked with a move away from Wolves and was asked whether he might leave the club in January. I will be leaving Wolves at the end of this month, I hope at least until the 18th of December (the date of the World Cup final)," he joked. "My main objective is to stay in the team as long as possible." The Portuguese team will begin their World Cup campaign against Ghana on November 24 before facing Uruguay and South Korea in Group H.

By Rashmi Goel